Atlus has been preparing for several big announcements for thePersona25th anniversary celebration since last fall. Yet, as 2022 marches on, fans of the series are starting to get antsy and disappointed over the substance of the celebration reveals. Other than a modern port ofPersona 4 Arena Ultimax, the anniversary reveals shown off so far have been related to merchandise, concerts, and otherwise things that aren’t game announcements. Granted, Atlus may not have set expectations appropriately, but fans are rightfully disappointed with the lack of substantial reveals. That being said, the final seventh reveal is expected by many to be aPersona 6teaser.
One of the reveals for the anniversary was a 25th anniversary festival event happening in Japan, which brought with it an exclusive artwork of all the protagonists from the series. Depicted in front of a graffiti mural, alongside the iconic and paint-slatheredPersonaprotagonists, stood an unused can of green paint. Obviously a deliberate choice, many fans are taking that as the hint for the next color associated with the main themes ofPersona 6. EveryPersonagame sincePersona 3utilized a primary color as a symbol for the themes expressed in the games narrative, visual style, and other aspects. Evidently, “Green” forPersona 6is a pretty significant departure.
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Persona 6’s Potential Green Color Palette
Granted, there’s not a huge amount of evidence to suggest either waywhat the colorized theme ofPersona 6will be, but the green paint can is a pretty overt hint. EveryPersonagame has featured one of the three primary colors as its main stylistic influence, as well as integrating the color’s various meanings or inclinations into the game’s story.Persona 3was blue,Persona 4was yellow, andPersona 5was red. Now that Atlus has covered its bases, so to speak, thePersonagames can expand beyond the primary colors into the very many secondary and tertiary colors, assuming the series continues to follow its iconic usage of color theory for themes.
Green is one of three secondary colors, according to the color wheel; followed by orange and violet. Orange and violet are pretty clearly derivative of the base primary colors that make up their origin, and so is green to some extent, but green is arguably the most unique color to stem from the three primary colors. The color green has seen a variety of uses in Atlus' JRPGs previously; ranging from the primary color associated with Futaba inPersona 5, or Chie inPersona 4, to green being the main color palletteassociated withShin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypse.
From a more speculative and spiritual perspective, the emotions, feelings, and meanings that can be evoked by the usage of green would make a lot of sense for aPersonagame, compared to violet or orange. There’s a wealth of different meanings for all colors and color theory, and considering all have had a tangible effect onPersona 3-5, it’d make sense for that trend to continue withPersona 6.
Persona: The Many Meanings and Symbolism of Green
Green can certainly have a lot of meanings within thePersonaseries, and already has been featured in various capacities outside of the context of the main color theme. Green was representative of the Dark Hour and Tartarus inPersona 3, which in and of itself is a representation of the worst denizens of the underworld in Greek mythology. Given that Tartarus is the conglomeration of shadows in the procedurally generated dungeon in-game,alongsidePersona 3’s overt themes of death and sadness, this usage of green evokes a sense of dread. Tartarus is a representation of death and decay, especially with those afflicted by Apathy Syndrome in the story.
On the other hand, green has seen plenty ofpositive and uplifting depictions in thePersonaseries as well, especially with more recent titles. Both Chie fromPersona 4, and Futaba fromPersona 5, are depicted in green as a symbolization of their character growth in both games. Chie’s growth stems from her desire to become more independently strong, as prior to confronting her true self, she would selfishly justify her jealousy with the relationship and dependence of her friend Yukiko. Futaba’s growth represents her coming-of-age after gradually leaving her bedroom, learning to cope with her agoraphobia (fear of crowds or leaving one’s home) and gain confidence.
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Green’s Potential Mythological Influence on Persona 6
As a main theme forPersona 6, green could take on a lot of meanings. Feelings or themes that green can be evocative of range from things like harmony and growth (often because of the color’s connection to nature), maturity and inexperience (similarly connected to fruits, green until ripe), or even greed and jealousy (like Chie, potentially a metaphor for money or wealth as well). Many of these “green"emotions and feelings are emulated throughoutPersonagames already, so there’s plenty of inspiration forPersona 6to draw from and bring these themes front and center. There are plenty of green-related myths that Atlus can draw from forPersona 6as well.
FromEgyptian mythology, the color of green is a duality that represents both life and death. Osiris, often depicted in hieroglyphs as green-skinned, was the god of fertility and death; meant to represent the cycle of life among plants and animals on Earth. Celtic mythology also has a similar “The Green Man” entity that governs nature and growth, albeit through the lens of humanity’s co-dependence with nature.
Alternatively, Slavic mythology attaches meaning to the color green through Rusalka, a temptuous being meant to lure in the lust or greed of men to punish their crimes. Even Arthurian legend delves into a unique meaning of green with the chivalric romance ofSir Gawain and the Green Knight, popularized by the A24 film of the same name.
Green could take on a variety of different themes and motifs from mythology to influencePersona 6’s story. In particular, green’s inherent focus on growth could be the perfect theme forthe many coming-of-age storylines thatPersonagames often tackle. However, the different mythological influences that could put an interesting spin onPersona 6’s potential theme could make the next game’s narrative potential be very intriguing.
