Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a 2013 fighting video game co-developed by Arc System Works and P-Studio and published by Atlus. It was first released for arcades with later ports for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2014 and Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows in 2022. A direct sequel to Persona 4 Arena, the game is a spin-off from the Persona series, itself part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. Gameplay follows standard fighting game conventions, with matches between two characters with individual movesets, and special expendable abilities.
Arena Ultimax takes place immediately after Persona 4 Arena; Arena is set two months after the events of Persona 4, and two years after Persona 3. After a supernatural occurrence known as the "Dark Hour" affects the town of Inaba, the Investigation Team of Persona 4 team up with the Shadow Operatives—a group formed by former members of SEES from Persona 3—to uncover the truth behind the P-1 Grand Prix and confront Sho Minazuki, a hostile Persona user. The storyline is told through visual novel segments. The original Persona 4 Arena Story Mode was included as downloadable content, which was included in the 2022 release for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows.
Arena Ultimax was intended as closure for the story of Arena, beginning production following the first game's critical and commercial success. The main staff of Arena returned for Arena Ultimax, with the gameplay being refined based on feedback. The release was supported by downloadable content featuring characters and accessories. Selling over 280,000 units worldwide, the game was positively reviewed by critics; many cited the gameplay as superior to its predecessor.
Gameplay
Like the previous title, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a fighting game in which characters from both Persona 3 and Persona 4 battle each other using a variety of special moves, combos, and Persona abilities. Along with balance adjustments and new moves added to the returning characters, a new S-Hold system allows players to charge up their attacks. Also new to Ultimax is the ability to choose "Shadow Types" for many of the game's characters. These Shadow versions differ by being largely skill-based variants of their counterparts, employing a high-risk high-reward play style thanks to reduced normal attack damage and an altered move set with lacking defensive options. They also keep their SP over multiple rounds instead of resetting each time and possess an exclusive Shadow Rampage ability, which replaces the Burst command, giving the characters infinite SP for a limited time.
The game's story mode, told in a format similar to a visual novel, is now split into two separate campaigns for the Persona 3 and Persona 4 casts, as opposed to the individual campaigns for each character seen in its predecessor. Two additional story campaigns are available: one allows players to replay the character campaigns from Persona 4 Arena, while the other is included with the Tohru Adachi downloadable content and focuses on his actions during the story. Golden Arena is a dungeon-based survival mode, in which players travel through various dungeons to increase the fighter's stats. Players can build Social Links with a navigator character, giving them skills that can aid the player in battle. Online play now features a new lobby area, resembling an arcade, where players can interact with each other.
Playable characters
Along with all thirteen returning characters from the previous game, eight new characters (five of which were initially exclusive to the console version) are added to the roster, including a brand new character, Sho Minazuki. Furthermore, many (though not all) of these characters feature a Shadow Type. Other characters, such as Fuuka Yamagishi from Persona 3 and Theodore from Persona 3 Portable appear in a non-playable capacity.
Notes: Post-launch addition to arcade version Downloadable content character in PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions Sho Minazuki has two different character slots; one possessing a Persona and the other without. These are distinguished as "Minazuki" and "Sho" respectively in the English version, and has different Japanese pronunciations and texts in Japanese version. Does not have a Shadow Type
Synopsis Setting and characters
The Persona 4 Arena duology are set in the Persona universe, revolving around groups of people who harness Personas—physical manifestations of their inner psyche—and use them to fight rogue psyches born from humanity's collective unconsciousness called Shadows. Arena Ultimax takes place a few days after the ending of Persona 4 Arena, which is set three months after the events of Persona 4 and two years after Persona 3. A key location in the story is the TV World, a metaphysical realm influenced by the wills of Inaba's population. Arena Ultimax begins when Inaba, the central location for both Persona 4 and Arena, is covered by a red fog, marking the return of Dark Hour. The previous game's otherworldly fighting tournament returns as the "P-1 Climax", seeping into the real world and warping Inaba with replicas of locations from Persona 3.
The story is split into two parallel, differing narratives following the Investigation Team of Persona 4 (Yu Narukami, Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa, Naoto Shirogane, and the friendly Shadow-like entity Teddie), a group of friends who investigated a serial murder case involving the TV World; and the Shadow Operatives (Aigis, Mitsuru Kirijo, Akihiko Sanada, Yukari Takeba, Junpei Iori, Fuuka Yamagishi, Ken Amada and the dog Koromaru), a covert group formed by former SEES members from Persona 3 to fight Shadows. The main protagonists of Persona 4 Arena are Persona 4 protagonist Narukami—a character blessed with the "Wild Card" power to summon multiple Personas; and Labrys, an Anti-Shadow weapon allied with the Shadow Operatives introduced in Arena. The main antagonists are Sho Minazuki, an unstable Persona user with a split personality; and Hi-no-Kagutsuchi, a being generated by the human Collective Unconscious and its latent despair. Additional characters in the narrative and DLC gameplay are Tohru Adachi, a central antagonist in Persona 4; Marie, a character introduced in Persona 4 Golden; and Margaret and Elizabeth, attendants from the metaphysical Velvet Room.
Plot
Episode P4 At midnight the day after the P-1 Grand Prix concludes, the TV in Yu's room suddenly starts airing the Midnight Channel, showing a promotion for the P-1 Climax and an image of Mitsuru, Aigis, Akihiko, and Fuuka crucified, with General Teddie announcing the world's end within one hour. A black out then occurs throughout Inaba and the whole town is surrounded by red fog. Naoto, who had recently learned about the previous Dark Hour which the Shadow Operatives previously involved as S.E.E.S. confirmed that the said incident has return. The Investigation Team starts facing Shadows that steal fragments of their enemies' Personas upon their defeat.
Yu, Yosuke, and Chie reach Yasogami and are approached by Sho, who announces himself as the culprit behind the P-1 Grand Prix and P-1 Climax. Tohru Adachi, whom they had believed to be imprisoned, also appears and give cryptic clues regarding Sho's intentions to them. At Tartarus, they once again encounter Sho and defeat him, but are overpowered by his other self, Minazuki. Minazuki reveals he has gathered enough Persona fragments to summon a malevolent entity that will destroy the world. Now reunited with their teammates and the Shadow Operatives, they pursue him through Tartarus, but are assaulted by a huge group of Shadows, forcing the group to let Yu confront Sho alone. At the top of the tower, Yu stops Sho from killing Adachi and fights Minazuki, emerging victorious. General Teddie, revealing himself to be Hi-no-Kagutsuchi, possesses Sho's body and fights Yu. With Adachi's help, they are able to kill Kagutsuchi. As Tartarus collapses, Elizabeth transports everyone to the TV World where Yu reunites with his friends who all set up to find a new path in their futures.
Episode P3 In response for the return of Dark Hour at Inaba, the reserve members of the Shadow Operatives as well as Labrys all head to Inaba via helicopter (save for Junpei, who ends up at Inaba by accident). After separately meeting the members of Investigation Team and rescuing their captured friends, they encounter Sho, the culprit behind Labrys' hijacking, who goads them into fighting Shadows in order to gather their Persona fragments. It is also revealed that Sho used to be one of Ikutsuki's test subjects, living in isolation and growing to resent the entire world after Ikutsuki abandoned him. During one of the experiments to make him a Persona user like Strega by using a Plume of Dusk, similar to Aigis and Labrys, another personality was born within Sho, which he refers to as Minazuki. Minazuki claims to have been born to grant Sho's wish to create a world without bonds. Labrys reaches the top of the tower and fights Sho. After defeating Sho, Hi-no-Kagutsuchi proceeds to possesses Sho's body. Labrys is able to emerge victorious against Kagutsuchi. As Tartarus collapses, Margaret transports everyone into the TV World. Sho, who is also transported, asks if she really did defeat Kagutsuchi, which she confirms, and Sho acknowledges her strength. Labrys then tries to convince Sho to join the Shadow Operatives.
True Epilogue After both scenarios are completed, a new chapter is unlocked, which follows the aftermath of Yu and Adachi defeating Kagutsuchi. As both Margaret and Elizabeth appear to witness the event, Sho is revealed to be alive but unable to sense Minazuki within him. He then reveals that after waking up from his coma, he discovered that Ikutsuki paid his medical expenses, leaving him with a large inheritance. Feeling lost due to only knowing how to fight, Sho eventually settled in Inaba, where he observed the Investigation Team solving the serial kidnapping/murder case in secret, believing that they might be able to understand him, only to give up. It was then that he was confronted by Hi-no-Kagutsuchi, who asked him if he wanted to destroy the world, and he agreed. Realizing Sho's only way to form bonds is by fighting, Yu starts a rivalry with him and both fight, revealing that Minazuki's persona has been passed down to Sho. After Sho's friendly departure, Margaret safely transports everyone out of the tower at Yu's request, and come to terms with Elizabeth's departure from the Velvet Room after trying to convince her to return. In the aftermath, the Investigation Team and the Shadow Operatives reunite at Junes, where they all bond together and celebrate their victory, while Yu and Labrys express their belief in Sho finding bonds of his own.
Episode Adachi Adachi continues to undergo police questioning regarding his methods for the two murders in Inaba, but his interrogators still do not believe his account of his crimes. However, Sho brainwashes one of the interrogators into assaulting Adachi and forcing him back into the TV World. There, Sho coerces Adachi into aiding him in his plan to destroy the world through creating yet another Dark Hour at Inaba. Adachi outwardly agrees, but decides to sabotage him in order to honor his promise to the Investigation Team to follow society's rules, and subtly manipulates the Investigation Team towards defeating Sho. When the Persona fragments are collected, Adachi makes his move, betraying Sho. However, Minazuki brutally beats Adachi. Adachi is rescued by Yu, and he destroys Hi-no-Kagutsuchi with Yu's aid. Adachi then returns to his prison cell and is visited by his old friend Dojima the next day.
Development