What Is the Persona 5 Protagonist’s Name?

With Persona 5 Tactica here, I’ve noticed a lot of people asking what the real name of the series’ main protagonist, Joker, is, and it’s a bit more complicated than you might think at first. Here’s what you need to know.

What the Persona 5 Protagonist Is Named Canonically

In Persona 5 and the game’s various spinoffs, such as Tactica, you’re able to set your main player character’s name to whatever you want, with Joker being the default code name for the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Generally, I name him after myself, because I’m deeply un-creative when it comes to these things. In cutscenes, voice actors will generally just refer to you by your pronouns rather than your actual name. However, your character does have an actual canonical name.

Various spinoff media for Persona 5, including the anime adaptation, has the character named Ren Amamiya. Later, for the enhanced Royal version of Persona 5, that became your protagonist’s default name. Persona Central notes Ren Amamiya translates, in Japanese, to a combination of rain, palace, and lotus, which seems fitting considering the game’s focus on palaces.

Related: Persona 5’s Most Hated Confidant Deserves More Love

Is Joker’s Real Name Ren Amamiya or Akira Kurusu?

Some of the confusion around Joker’s real name in Persona 5 may stem from what he’s called in the manga, which isn’t the same as other material. Essentially, the Persona 5 manga uses Akira Kurusu rather than Ren Amamiya as the protagonist’s name. That name translates to something like “Killer Kill,” according to some sources. Some people prefer Akira over Ren as a name for the character, but Atlus having chosen to continue using the latter makes clear that it’s canon.

And that’s what the name of Persona 5’s protagonist, Joker, is in the series. If you’re looking for more, check out our guide to all the voice actors in Persona 5 Tactica.