Persona's Silent Protagonists are Good, Actually.
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- Опубліковано 13 січ 2025
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In this video, I explain the subtle and seemingly unexplainable charm of the Persona series silent protagonists. While most MegaTen games feature a silent protagonist, I will not be spending any time on any of the Shin Megami Tensei or Megami Tensei spinoff games. While P1, P2, P3, P4, and P5 all have silent protagonists, I won't be dwelling too much on Persona 1 or Persona 2 protagonists either, as many of the things I say only apply to the main characters of Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5. This will also include FeMC, the Persona 3 Portable female protagonist. I will VERY briefly discuss the persona protagonists as they're interpreted in spinoffs, anime adaptations, etc. I mainly want to cover the dichotomy between Makoto Yuki, Kotone Shiomi, Yu Narukami, and Ren Amamiya as therein lies the value of these characters and why people may grow more attached to one main character over the rest. That's what defines a Persona main character. Whether you prefer Persona 3 Protagonist, Persona 4 Protagonist, Persona 5 Protagonist...
Persona's Silent Protagonists are Good, Actually.
#persona #atlus
![JOKER IS THE *HARDEST* BOSS IN PERSONA HISTORY! [HEARTLESS]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-wyEB8aKcg4/mqdefault.jpg)
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damn…
Good video. All that matters is that Atlus keeps the troll dialogues in Persona 6, that's all the voice I need.
@@DoNotFuss Devil Survivor 2 protagonist again or we riot
The protagonists are almost universally loved by fans despite being silent. That’s how you know it’s done right
theyre universally loved because of the media adaptations lmaoa
More often than not that's because of the media adaptations though, the only exceptions really would be joker because he's extremely expressive through the game and artwork despite not talking as usual, and tatsuya, because tatsuya appears in eternal punishment where he DOES talk
Y’all in these replies are completely out of touch with the wider persona audience and it shows lol. half of the fanbase if not more do not gaf about media adaptations and still love the protags
@@peesona9370are we though? Whenever protagonists are discussed more often than not you see people mentioning traits that come from the anime, not the game, literally the biggest meme is that yu is a chad because of the persona 4 anime scene. Im not saying this is concrete evidence but it's something
@@DDS-NET Is that so? I personally have not consumed anything but the mainline games and a couple of spinoffs and I still really like the mcs 🤷
Being silent but having a personality is pretty fucking based
@@DoNotFuss Nah. If Twitter people were actually silent the world would be a better place.
@@DoNotFuss They need to face themselves and accept that they´re Mishimas.
@@amarant1275 Except Mishima actually goes outside.
Not really based. I'm like that but i barely have friends and yeah no bitches👍
They outdid themselves with joker. The fact that he immediately gets a backstory, albeit a vague one, already does a lot for his character. We learn that he’s a bit of a troublemaker, but has a strong sense of justice and a wants to help people. Then he essentially gets a whole new identity in the metaverse which helps to characterize him further, the other mcs just didn’t have that distinguishing factor. When you think of joker you immediately picture that version of him, you don’t just see him as…a guy. They went for a very dramatic and edgy design with him, which is why I feel like the fact that he barely speaks in the real world makes him seem even cooler and more mysterious.
The a Persona 5 Artbook actually states that Joker had a little bit more to his design than Makoto or Yu, in that Soejima specifically wanted him to be able to produce Taunting gazes towards the camera as a means to reflect his sense of mischief. I really would recommend anyone read the artbooks because Soejima goes into a lot of detail about his reasoning for their designs as well as that of the art teams. Kotone for example was one he had a lot of difficulty with but ultimately opted for a design that wanted to show huge potential for growth.
Not just the way he looks. The way he moves in the metaverse. From what I remember, he’s the only Phantom Thief doing flips and gymnastic movements and all of these flashy movements while using his weapons, even before receiving training from Kasumi. He can’t do flips in real life but he knows he can do it in the metaverse so he does them without fear of landing on his ass or breaking a body part.
@@Akechi_The_Phantom_Detectivewhere can I read it ?
@@jokarsen3858 The Persona 5 Artbook that comes with the Take Your Heart Edition has the art notes from Sowjima.
@@Akechi_The_Phantom_Detective do you have a link or something pls ?
I always disliked the notion that FeMC was "happier" than MC, I think it's more that her depression is more understated than her male counterpart. FeMC's happy bubbly persona is a mask she wears to hide the real sadness and trauma she feels over what happened to her and her family. She's an alternative response to depression. While MC lets it consume him becoming emo and apathetic, FeMC runs from it, not acknowledging anything that happened and regularly and enthusiastically putting herself in harms way
I like to imagine that FeMC is stuck in this weird denial stage that keeps her in this energetic attitude unlike Door Kun who of course is accepting it and has this “I don’t care what happens” mood. Only one of them has “moved on” while the other is trapped.
Sidenote: This is just me but FeMC’s smile in her art just looks slightly off as it seems like she only doing the bare minimum for a grin
i relate to her, a lot. When I lost my mom it was weird, i cried that whole day, woke up and was smiling? I didn't understand it at first, I was even scared about how chill I seemed to be about it. But then like a week later I just broke down and cried again. I like how her and hm both reflect to sides of the coping spectrum
well her true feelings is showed in the song called way of life in the lyrics
If I can remember correctly, FeMC's depression could be diagnosed as "Smiling Depression", a kind of depression that is harder to detect because the person with depression is able to hide it behind an overtly positive persona.
(Damn now that I'm reading the description of Smiling Depression, I'm starting to feel like I might have that too.)
This. Very much this. The entire point of the two is that they are going through the same things, their parents (and by my theory, their sibling) died, they get essentially forced into the horrors of the dark hour, they witness multiple people die before their eyes, they learn that as far as they know the end of all life is inevitable, but what makes them different is the way they cope, they both bottle up their emotions, but male MC does it by locking himself off from everyone and not caring about his or anyone else’s life, female MC does it by pretending she’s always bright and happy and nothing gets to her, both of them develop friendships and relationships over the course of Persona 3 and they stop having to cope that way, they show their real selves to the world because having real bonds gives them the courage to stop running away. It’s FANTASTIC environmental story telling, since almost none of this is actually expressly said by the game, its the way they respond in their 2 word text prompts through the game, it’s the lyrics of their unique music tracks, it’s the flavour text when you interact with an object, it’s the way other characters react slightly different to both protagonists. Sorry for the nerd rant but I absolutely adore the femc and the way she changes the dynamics of Persona 3 in subtle, but meaningful ways and the way her personality is different but starts the same and ends the same, and I barely ever see anyone mention this, great comment my friend :) I truly believe she was one of the greatest additions to any game and it’s not persona 3 without her 🩷🩵
Persona protagonists are really not as silent as people think they are. They very much fall into the category of "read between the lines." Aside from the points you made, each respective protag has a pretty defined personality if you take into account the cutscenes and especially the good vs bad ending options. The "bad" ends like the accomplice one or vanilla P5's says a lot about the "fatal flaws" of each one, which in turn says a lot about their base personality.
But yeah the final points about Persona mostly being about "experience" is partly why I think the protags' personalities aren't *directly hammered* into the player. P3 onwards is so heavy on the social sim elements, that I think it'd be much easier to alienate players from these kinds of mechanics if they don't vibe with the personality. So there's just enough leeway with the dialogue options to make anyone feel comfortable to "live out their life" in game.
real
Honest question, can you tell me a character trait of them that doesn't involve any other media adaptation? Please.
@@GaeaRage0798Just my interpretation.
Joker is bombastic and energetic in the metaverse while Ren is more reserved. He can go along with the eccentric antics of his confidants but can feel uncomfortable while doing so. He's a quippy, spiderman kind of jokester.
I think Yu is the most normal protagonist with the least to hide, which is why he seems bland compared to the other two if we only compare main games. Of course, you can still make him an absolute chad and that's valid. He's a fish that adapts quickly to new waters. His kind of comedy is playing comedic scenes straight knowingly and in turn making it funnier.
Makoto is apathy incarnate who learns to celebrate life. He goes along with everyone's antics because he has nothing better to do.
Kotone is the complete opposite of Makoto, very genki girl type character who easily gets lonely. She wants to socialize with everyone she can.
@@GaeaRage0798Well I have one for Joker lmao. TL;DR a literal joker/jokester (long-ass bullshit below btw)
When the first cutscene is waving "see ya!" at security and backflipping through a stained-glass window, that's usually a sign he's got a kinda daredevil, cavalier, dramatic, or roguish personality. Finishing bosses with lines like "pillage him, Satanael!", "Begone", and "Checkmate" are as theatrical as they come.
Outside of cutscenes? Even ignoring confidant ranks, his dialogue choices can show him talking back to Sojiro, getting cheeky with Kamoshida ("can I have a ride?"), lying absurdly in the Maidwatch incident, suggesting silly codenames for new PT members, and giving Futaba a hammy "Aloha!" greeting when back from Hawaii.
When he's serious? He can choose a hesitant/unsure "..." pause in tense moments, like when Yusuke asks if they've really been doing the right thing (when confronted by the Depths of Mementos prison), and also when Lavenza asks if he has any regrets (from being jailed & Akechi staying dead). Also he _really_ misses Morgana the week he's gone, he worries for that cat so bad!!
Finally, the bad endings? When backed into a corner, he can choose to listen to an authority figure offering to keep him & the PT out of harm's way... ultimately at the expense of his friends' autonomy & trust. This holds true for Sae's interrogation, Yaldabaoth's deal, and Maruki's reality.
Crucially, *none* of these involve making similar choices to what, say, the P4 bad-endings would take. For example: Joker has no option to let Maruki fall, like Yu could push (an equally saviour-complex) Namatame into the TV. And he has no option to aid Akechi in his traitor's schemes, like Yu could keep quiet about Adachi's killings. Joker's just not that kind of person!
So basically when the protag is meant to embody the themes of their game, of course Joker's gonna be a rebellious little shit lmao
GaeaRage0798 Yes, first of all take a look to how each MC walks. Makoto and Joker both with their hands in the pockets, looking down. Yu however walks with one single hand, raising his head and stands in contrapposto pose. That means that two of them have apathy and don´t care about anything and the other have confidence.
Makoto answers reflect his apathy and his attitude in the game (we can learn about the MC talking with other chars) shows that he doesn´t cares about anything, he´s done with life. His contact with others make him change this perspective.
Yu is optimistic. He has some hilarious and really weird answers. Some chars lab him as "weird" and somehow dense. We can see that he cares a lot about his beloved ones and has 100% house wife and dad energy. He´s veeery calm but is the only one that has been this close of killing an innocent person.
Joker has double personality. We see the calm and shy Ren that tries to avoid conflicts and walks with his head down because everybody talks bad about him. Then we have his true self, Joker who is arrogant, sarcastic and very energetic. He isn´t just a rebel, he ENJOYS driving his opponents nuts.
As the MCs are under our control to pay attention to what they do doesn´t counts because we are the ones choosing there. Just pay attention to what the world and people that surround them says, they are the ones who drop the info that we don´t know.
The thumbnail is hilarious
While
Makoto is getting in his dorm and meeting people who lives there
And Yu is on a train for staying in a rural town for a while
Ren is getting arrested for murder and getting beaten and drugged
That’s not even 3 random scenes which have nothing to do with the others: those are literally the introduction of all these three characters
Man my boy Ren is getting it rough
right ? poor guy, he's not even out of high school, what the hell ! honestly really speaks to his character that he's able to stay kind and level-headed most of the time.
Self-inflicted first-time headshot & shaking gas station person's hand are pretty terrifying in their own right.
@@ninjaydes that shot was basically Makoto doing what Yukari was going to without really thinking about it. It’s a shocking scene to watch but arguably he didn’t do anything shocking because it was very natural to him forget about the gun form of the Evoker.
Makoto walked through an entire city filled with nothing but blood and standing coffins and felt nothing
From the sounds of it, Joker is super relatable. I mean, lots of people on Twitter seem to think they look just like him.
People with shaggy black hair and glasses play Persona games that's why. Difference is that Joker looks like he takes care of his hygiene.
@@DoNotFuss yo 😂
@@DoNotFussdamn you really didn’t have to cast Agidyne on those joker fans 😭
Honestly, persona 5’s environment and joker are the most relatable to me. The feeling of being such a outcast you’re forced to find people outside of your immediate seroundings, going out of your way to find people like you because everyone else has made it clear they don’t want you around, it’s all very similar to how my highschool days went.
I have many reasons I relate to Joker himself, my need to hide myself beneath a mask is just a very relatable struggle as an autistic person. He’s the best to me because of that, but I view him as his own character and not a self insert, I just happen to relate to him in the same way I relate to a character like futaba
you just perfectly described how I feel about joker and the setting of this game (I'm autistic too btw)
Well said, I think a lot of people relate to Joker simply because he’s the type of guy everyone wants to be. There’s a point in the game Ryuji mentions no matter what anyone says about Joker, he takes it in stride and does what he believes in and that wherever he ends up, he belongs. And tell me who in the fell doesn’t want to be that?
Kotone also mentions in Q2 that resisting those social expectations takes a lot out of her. And I think that’s why she admires Joker so much, because the guy is legitimately free. Even Akechi states that Jokers heart is free and it’s something he envies.
It’s also hinted that like Ryuji, Joker has a thing for heroes so it makes total sense, especially as a rogue type himself.
See for me I relate to Joker cause I’m a criminal too lmao. Did deferred adjudication but I know how people judge and misunderstand people who have a “record” and I know what it’s like to go through the court systems and legal systems and how cops treat people who have allegedly committed a crime (in the US at least)
I never even saw them as silent. If you pay attention like what you talked about with Joker, even his body language and mannerisms and things like their dialog choices tell you alot about their character. But I also agree that these games are an experience and any interpretation is a good one
It became obvious for me when joker denied yabal
That pose and motion just lol
@@Oreca2005 yup for sure!!
Joker does actually talk from time to time in the game tho.
@@HyouVizer he does but most of the time its either a line or two, or grunts in battle and callouts.
I like how they made joker mostly silent beacause for the moments he does speak, it gives me goosebumps. Especially that one scene where he said "it's persona time" and then proceeded to persona all over the shadows.
What a fucking knee slapper!
Dif you come up with that punchline yourself?
Xander Mobius did so well. The few lines he gets, aside from Persona callouts, are goosebump inducing
You need to see the P4 anime. It took that loneliness aspect and made it the basis for Yu Narukami's whole character. And it relates well to anyone who uses the games as wish fulfillment.
I think persona 4 animation did Yu really well. You can tell Yu is definitely the type of person that needs social interaction or else he gets very existential about himself
Yeah, I really liked how the anime handled Makoto Yuki’s character too!
the animes always save the character of the protagonist ingame to be honest. they’re overhated. Yu’s “character” was the weakest writing in persona 4 unfortunately. the anime did an amazing job at fixing that
@gldn3123 I watched the anime and played the game, and I still liked Yu in game. I might be a bit biased because I bought Persona 4 in 2021, which was the first jrpg I ever bought in my life.
I personally like Joker most because of the concepts they embody with him. Like you said, he’s viewed as a bad person, constantly shit talked and outcasted by his peers. Yet even still he spends the whole game trying to help people, putting his life on the line to make a better world for the very same people who treated him so poor. For me, he represents keeping your head high regardless of what life throws at you. Plus, his dialogue choices are often jokes, or making light of shitty situations. Even when others around him have given up, like with **spoiler** at the end of the Royal, Joker’s ability to always hope for a better future is what brings them back. The key component to his character is the societal pressure he faces, which I think a lot of people can relate to.
Overall I think Joker stands out to me personally because he faces one of my own fears head on. The idea that others may dislike me and believe I’m a bad person is one that weighs heavily on me at all times. For me, my fears are all anxiety based, as in it’s not like I’ve really had a lot of people openly think negatively of me. Joker on the other hand actively experienced this, yet even still he has the strength to move on and power through. It’s inspiring, it gives me hope, it makes me feel that no matter what happens in my own life I can make it through too.
"The protagonist isn't really a character, the protagonist is an experience" Holy shit I never heard something so perfect to describe most jrpg protagonists
Great video, man! These protagonists can relate to the player in a much deeper way than a lot of people think; whether it be a similarity in life experiences that the player will feel a relation to or a personality trait that they feel connects with them. It's a fun topic to touch on, and you did a great job doing just that!
thanks bro
Personally I really like Boy with Earring in P1 and Maya in EP, not to be a 1-2 supremacist but they really stuck with me
Not really a supremacist standpoint when Maya and Tatsuya are fuckin awesome
(Naoya/Earring Boy really doesn't have anything though except he stands with his hands on his hips, that's kinda cool ig)
@@thomasmacdonough288 Yeah it was mostly just there to make the annoying P3-5 fans go away
@@thomasmacdonough288f i am right in p1 game you can learn that boy with earring is into gambling and yukino also tells you b.w.e doesn't have many friends and he also get average grades.
thanks for your point on femc's personality. a lot of people like to dismiss her for dealing with her trauma by being overly outgoing in her responses, but the developers themselves even said "we originally made her just like the male mc, but we ended up with a very boring girl who's not fun to experience". a lot of depressed girls still make it a point to socialize to avoid isolation for being the "weird girl", because despite what people prefer in fiction, no one ever talks to the shy girls.
no one reaches out to them or sits next to them or bothers unless they're specifically another shy girl. it also makes the fact yukari is a lot warmer to femc than makoto feel very realistic, because they're both girls with emotional baggage who can only really vent to each other. girls have to put on a front of openness and sociability in order to garner attention. being depressed or withdrawn as a girl is not an option if you want to survive.
Kind of hoping that the next mainline protagonist will be fixed as a girl. This was taken into account on the untapped potential of a sole female protagonist, plus some franchises that are designed for male leads are getting more female leads.
joker x femc
@@ReinzTheKingah i see, Joker is attracted to older women and FeMC is attracted to younger guys.
that’s actually kinda hilarious now that i think about it.
@@Windermedthis didn’t make sense until I took into account how old FeMC would be if she met Joker 😭
EXACTLY THANK YOU !!!!!!!
People all want a persona game set in college, and I'm saying screw it go farther. I want one set in a nursing home
That’d actually be kinda cute 🥰..
That’d actually be pretty 🔥
imagine a 54 year old grandpa who just moves in to a nursing home after their family didn’t want to deal with them. one day they’re awaken in the velvet room where Igor lets then know something is coming and upon waking up, notice something goes on which is when said grandpa can awaken his persona which allows him to walk and not rely on his wheelchair anymore
sadly tho the only way he can summon his persona is by taking his alzheimer’s meds since his persona can go berserk if he forgets about it.
Go farther? Alright, Persona game set in WW2
So that one moment in Persona 4 The Animation’s Shadow Naoto fight where a few characters temporarily become a*s-old, but the entire game /j
One thing I will note is despite these characters having supposedly canon names, the Japanese player base still refer to them by their codenames Hamuko, Kitaro, Bancho and Joker and there's a good reason for that. Because they seem to believe the players journey is a vital part of these games, this is as much your journey as it is anyone else's. Like it makes sense why they do have canonical names because in mediums where the player isn't the one interacting (manga's, movies, stage plays and audio CD's) the cast to address the protagonist somehow and it'd be ridiculous not to give them a name.
Despite silent self-insert characters, the MCs still have personalities that you can sort of deduce from the way other characters interact with them and the vibe of the game. Yu from P4 is cool as fuck, always doing things in the most 'I don't care what you think about me, I'm just doing me' kind of way, standing tall but still relaxed with a hand on his hip. P3 MC is thoughtful and a bit more closed off. He seems to like to escape the world a little bit, always listening to his headphones with his head hunched and hands in his pockets, and he's even an MMO nerd.
This was a great video about the protagonists, that point you made about us relating to the one that has experiences in common with us really blew my mind.
Persona silent protagonists hit different for me because of how involved they are in the other characters lives. Sure they’re “you” and “you” control who they bond with/fall in love with/ what they do in the day/etc.
But Minato/Makoto’s coldness, FemMC’s friendliness, Yu’s cool attitude, and Joker’s eccentricities? They’re shown in game through how they interact with everyone else. I think you’re right when you said that Persona games are about how the protagonists interacts with the world, not the other way around.
Small tangent but I think an example of a bad silent protagonist is Byleth from Fire Emblem:Three Houses. Hot take, I know. But for me, I enjoyed everything about 3H except Byleth. Because they were so hollow and dead inside. Dialogue choices were boring. Romance scenes were boring. I they’re just so…boring.
And I know there’s a narrative reason why they are like that. BUT the party members don’t treat that as a flaw. They still come to love Byleth because…They’re the protagonist and occasionally do nice things. It doesn’t help that the kind deeds, emotional interactions and impact that Byleth supposedly has on the other characters is mostly off-screen and just brought up in dialogue.
Compare that to Persona protagonists and how they change as you progress through social links. You see them take an active role in the development of the other characters. By doing so, the admiration the Persona protagonists gets feels earned and you’re rewarded for your efforts.
A silent protagonist doesn’t have to suddenly talk to be worth caring about. They just need to feel like an active part of their world.
I was going to comment about Byleth but you said exactly what I would have. Only thing I'd add is I think what hurts them is that EVERY other character in 3H has full voice acting for every single line. Even nameless NPCs. Support conversations with Byleth feel especially jarring when everyone else gets fully voiced two-way conversations.
It's similar to how I feel about another silent protagonist: Ludger in Tales of Xillia 2. If you think Fire Emblem Supports with a silent protagonist are jarring, wait till you see Tales Of Skits with one. It's... painful. And unlike Byleth, Ludger has no in-lore reason to be silent.
As a fan of both games, I can get behind your criticisms for Byleth. The game really does praise them too much, especially during the start.
I would say the more realistic take for the leaders of the three houses and even some of the students of those houses to actually look at Byleth with suspicion or confusion as to why the school that teaches elite, noble and royal students be taught by a mercenary that only knows how to kill.
And I do get what you mean by the characters needing so much hand holding by Byleth that they can barely operate on their own.
However, there are some characters like Dimitri after being redeemed having some kind of agency to get his kingdom back and prove himself to the people. So that did remind me a bit when you max out someone's social link and they get shit done kind of feeling. If only they did the same for the majority of the characters, it would make Byleth work.
If Byleth just had voice acting for her lines, like Shez, it would be perfectly... okay. I often forget her voice, unlike every other character, who i can hear speak any line i want them to. Hell, Byleth is the whole reason i'm writing a fanfic on 3H, trying to give her a more realized character and arc. She still starts off quiet, as the Byleth we know, but in my head, her story is about how connecting with other people and starting to care about them makes her emotions open up a bit, until by the end she is no longer emotionless and now fairly expressive.
Three Houses TRIED to do that... but without voice acting, it's really hard to see. You get a few chapters before the end of the first part of the game where byleth shows emotion, like Remire and with Jeralt, but when you go into the second part.... all of that disappears and she litterally just becomes a figurehead for the rest of the game.
I think people often underestimate just how much characterization can be done in the dialogue choices for a character. Sure, the protagonist is only going to say one of the three options at your discretion, but the implication is that they at very least consider saying any of those three things.
The P3 protagonist comes off as a bit apathetic with how often ‘I don’t care’ or just ‘…’ comes up as an option. P4 protag is all around friendlier, but has occasional oddball moments that he fully commits to, giving him secret weird kid vibes. And Joker always has something to throw them for a loop (the ‘little shit’ option, if you will). Hell, given the way supports work you get a very interesting for of charcterization where both you and Joker consider being annoying, before switching to saying something you know the other person would like. This is at least somewhat true for the other protags, Joker just does it the most.
I really hope they keep P6 silent too. I mean if it is voiced and it’s good I’ll take it but I do think Persona works precisely because it feels so POV
I’d like it if they made some dialogue choices voiced, to go along with the voice acting in talking scenes.
@@Kaisona2017 I’d be okay with that. If all the player input lines were voiced and performed I’d think that would be totally acceptable if not great. I just think it’s a mistake to have scripted lines in story scene from the protagonist. There’s some times during anime cutscenes that can be awkward. I guess I’m also okay with adding words to them on a very limited basis, like very basic single responses in cases where it’s very awkward otherwise. Like saying someone’s name or “yes” or “no.” But those are the only exceptions I’d make.
well it seems the metaphor refantazio (which is pretty much persona 6 judging by what we've seen) is voiced or at least has dialogue lines. we'll see how that pans out
The one thing Soul Hackers 2 did extremely well (MC Ringo) got the whole damn MegaTen fanbase in a tizzy regarding silent protagonists.
Ringo was the *good* part of SH2 for me. Made the game tolerable.
@@AdmiralSloth Soul Hackers 2 was a good game.
the game's story and most of the characters sucked ass.
I know you said you weren't gonna talk about SMT protags but I feel obligated to mention my favorite one: Hibiki Kuze from Devil Survivor 2.
He is the most relatable to me because he takes a lot of things with humor and needs to go to real harsh things to show deception or sadness, but even after that you can see it smiling again on a few lines of dialogue later.
I have gone trough some difficult things in my life, yes, as many people, but I'd argue they haven't been as strong as others plus I've always recovered well from them. My main life mode is just chilling and joking when I see the chance, while at the same time making my close ones have a good time. That's what I see on Hibiki.
Also his smile sprite might be the funniest sprite in the whole smt series.
not to mention he probably has the funniest dialogue options for a megaten protagonist.
he’s just so full of humor and despite how difficult dealing with the septentriones, the triangulum can be, he’s always there to chill out and cheer people up.
i’m glad you made a video about this! some of my favorite characters in this series are protagonists so i’m glad someone’s finally showing them some love :D
I think you made a really good point. I know that the common perception or joke in the community about people struggling with getting into older entries in the series after starting with 5 is because of the difficulty, but for me I believe it to be the differences in the protagonists stories and how they end up meeting the people they form bonds with that made it harder. I'm not saying I think this for everyone, just me. I do love a good challenge after all.
6:14 THANK GOD SOMEONE FINALLY ADDRESSES THIS PART OF THE P3 PROTAGS IVE BEEN THINKING THOUGHTS AB IT FOR SO LONG BUT PPL ALWAYS IGNORE IT 💔
For my money, a silent protagonist should also look really cool. Maybe walk around in only shorts and sketchers with glow-in-the-dark tattoos all over their face and body. Dunno, could be neat.
The regular P4 anime is pretty good, obviously sped up but they did a good job with dialogue. The protag in the anime uses a lot of the funnier dialogue options.
my head canon is when the protagonists see the butterfly at the start of each game that is when they become "mute" as this is the moment we become their conscious. They still have a level of control and personality, but it is up to us to try and piece together what they were like before the moment Philemon butterfly appears.
7:04 you need a reality check if persona is what fills the gap of actual social interaction
real shit, that’s why so many people are okay with the weak characterization of protagonists in game😂 it’s honestly sad
Persona MCs are a good example to show that “silent protagonists” and “blank slate protagonists” aren’t the same thing.
The two often overlap, but characters can definitely be one and not the other.
Persona protags are almost perfect man.
I just wish we got to see their personalities in game more
Like in the movies
But I guess that's what the movies/series are for
I think that depends on how you define “perfect.” Because becoming good at everything, knowing the right thing to say and having max personality stats are just game mechanics. Really, they’re only as perfect as you want to play them.
With that said- yeah, their different personalities are more obvious in the spin offs and such. I’d argue that the Persona 4 anime perfected that balance of Yu Narukami being both super cool and a total dork, flaws and all.
@@pinkraven7043yeah
I don´t see them as "perfect". They are broken dudes who try to support everybody around them but they´re actually pretty dead inside. Is true that the animes and spinoffs make their flaws shine more than the main games were they act more like self inserts, but they´re far from perfect.
@@amarant1275 i didnt say perfect. i think theyre close to perfect when you tie in their movie counterparts i mean. (apart from joker)
in those theyre less self inserts and have interesting character moments (especially makoto)
@@fluke7506 I see. Yeah you´re right, I love how the movies portrait Makoto and Yu. The games have their moments like the lack of empathy of the MCs in the beginning.
I really loved your point at the end, that these characters are only characters when they need to be, like the adaptations and side games. In the core games however, there are multiple interpretations and it’s up to the player to decide how to view them. None is right or wrong.
I’m glad I finally made that video discussing a similar take a few days ago, it has been racking my brain why we narrow our view of these protagonists so much but I also can’t blame them, because they do so much for us individually.
Great video, but as someone who's watched the P4 anime a lot, I don't think his personality in Arena is that similar. Persona Q Yu resembles Anime Yu a lot more, as a stoic but also hilariously goofy guy. From what I remember, despite one or two silly moments, Arena Yu leans more towards "generic hero". But it's been a while since I played that.
One thing I found cool about the Persona 3-5 protags is, as you said here, they all have clearly established personalities without words, and their anime/movie incarnations just build on those. P3's protag is quiet and initially standoffish, Yu has some of the most "out there" and goofy options in the social sim like spending a whole day with a cat or eating bizarre things in the fridge. And Joker... had a ton more personality when silent in-game than when he had a full speaking role in the anime, but... that's probably the anime's fault. (It'll be interesting to see how Tactica handle him, because that might be the first dubbed spinoff with a fully-voiced Joker) EDIT Oops I forgot Joker didn't speak in Q2.
It's crazy to think neither Ren nor Kotone has ever had fully voiced English dialogue until now for the former (outside P5A at least)
@@ArshadZahid_nohandleideas And sadly Kotone likely won't get to be fully voiced by Laura Bailey, since she doesn't do many Japanese games anymore.
Arena isn´t his best personification but I laughed hard when he goes nuts because Elizabeth destroyed the ceiling instead of use the door, that was a 100% anime Yu moment.
@@amarant1275 Elizabeth's story in general is one of the best things to come out of the Persona series, mainline or spinoff.
@@BigKlingythen again Laura’s known to reprise her well known roles. the reason she wasn’t able to be casted for P4D was due to scheduling conflicts as she was away for her honeymoon during the time ATLUS held recording sessions for P4D so they had to find a replacement for her which was Ashly Burch (who’s voiced characters in alot of games/media even in the recent spiderverse movie)
Since you mentioned you couldn't see how anyone could relate to Joker, I'll throw this out I played Persona 5 in a time where my life was going to shit. My dad was unable to work due to his liver, the government denied us disability benefits and I was just starting college and had to work to keep a roof over our head. Then during all ot that, he got arrested all because he pissed off the wrong guy. I'm not saying this as a sob story but I want to emphasize why I relate to him. While the situations aren't one to one me Joker were both screwed over by society itself. I think Joker is meant not only to relate to these people but to also give them hope that things can get better. It certainly did for me. But that's just my perception of him
Bro ain’t seen the persona 4 animation? Man’s missing out
As a felon and a theater kid, yeah, no, your analysis of Joker checks out and I do relate to him.
What did u do bro
I mostly agree, but I do find myself going back & forth on the topic.
It wouldn't be hard for Atlus to record voice lines for all the options they give the player to select in conversations, as many games with far more dialogue do this already. It would at least add a bit more personality & less awkwardness to the interactions (especially in scenes where there's heightened emotions where everyone's reacting like crazy & you're just nodding).
Also, I feel P5 handles the silent protagonist better than P4. After recently playing through P4G, there were a lot more moments where the quiet-do-nothing responses stood out a lot worse than I remembered.
I think the one line where it's stated Kotone is happier than Makoto is during Yukari and Mitsuru's conversation in the lead-up to the decision. Yukari mentions that she's always smiling. It's been so long since I played FES so I don't remember what she says in the male route, though.
That's actually addressed in Persona Q2 as well, I should note the core theme of that game is "Individuality" and distinguishing what makes Kotone and Makoto unique is a huge part of Kotone's character arc. Essentially, when she meets Makoto she initially has a bit inferiority complex towards him which is due to the fact she was dragged into the games story by herself (without her team) which results in her questioning why she was even bought there in the first place. However, ultimately Kotone ends up being accepted by the SEES, The Phantom Thieves and the original SEES Team who accept her for who she is and what makes her so special (I.E: She constantly tries to make everyone else happy with her uplifting and assertive spirit) .
Ultimately the end result is that Makoto and Kotone accept that while they may have the same role, they are unique to themselves and no-one could ever replace them as a result Kotone resolves never to be afraid to be herself. TLDR: This whole game is a meta commentary to say "Kotone, we accept you just as important a part of this franchise as all these guys". Of course the PT's core motif of "Having A Place to Belong" is also tied to that as well.
@@Akechi_The_Phantom_Detectivewell said!! i agree with you there and genuinely speaking i love how Q2 put emphasis on Kotone’s development and how she stands out from Makoto
overall, maybe that’s why i love Q2. i just really like how the game focuses on a person’s “individuality” and that they don’t have to cast away who they really are just to be able to “fit in” and be “normal” which is something i’ve struggled with my entire life and seeing how both Kotone and Hikari managed to get through their own struggles makes me feel more inspired to do the same for myself.
When I beat P5R for the first time, I took away really loving how Atlus managed to give Joker so much personality without him barely speaking any words.
P3P is my favourite game of all time and I don’t mind the protagonist being silent at all because it makes me smile when my character makes a little Laura Bailey noise during battle at random intervals
I think a lot of developers miss the mark with silent protagonists as they equate a silent protagonist with one of a blank personality template that makes writing a story around them very troublesome as you need to make assumptions about the player and/or play it extremely safe and have something like Persona 1's protagonist who fails to stand out as nothing makes him stand out other than you control him and choose dialogue options.
12:08 “I haven’t seen the Persona 4 anime”
You’re doing yourself a disservice.
I’d give it a watch one day. Of course if you’ve played the game, not necessary. However, I’d still give it a watch since it captures the main story, characters, and charm in a satisfying way. (Imo)
The arena games slightly characterize Yu akin to the anime, but it lacks a lot of the humor that the anime implemented with the way Narukami responds to situations.
And even with that we can see that he´s a total weirdo. He went nuts when Elizabeth destroyed the ceiling instead of using the door. Like the girl breaks the ceiling like if it was a cookie looking for a fight and he´s more worried about why she hasn´t used the door.
The public's overwhelming lack of media literacy never fails to surprise me. Not every kind of character is beneficial to every kind of story. Imagine thinking "Super Mario Bros sucks because I don't get to hear Mario drop one-liners after every interaction". Hit the nail on the head with this one bubbletea.
@@DoNotFuss for sure. That was just an extreme scenario to underscore the points from the video
Mario isnt a story based game. So no, this doesnt matter.
@morriganrenfield8240 so why did The Legends of Zelda get a free pass for having a story based game with a silent protagonist named Link
Narukami will always be my favorite persona protagonist just because of the amount of personality they gave him, and his interactions with his friends plus I relate to him the most, but that compares nothings to the characterization of Joker, in strikers and Royal they really showed off Jokers goofiness and just how little of shits he gives when his friends want to do some things like when Ryuji wanted to see Alice, but there are also moments like fighting Akechi in momentos or helping Yuskue make his next masterpiece that Joker does actually truly care about.
i love silent protagonists
I've had this idea in my head for a while, but I could never really put it fully in words until I watched this. I really think the Persona protagonists have the most personality out of any silent protagonist I've ever seen. Hell, they're sometimes better than protagonists who have a lot more voice lines.
I'm still in the middle of my first playthrough of P3P as the male protagonist, and haven't even started as the female protag, but my favorite so far has to be from P5. And I'm not talking about the flashy edgelord Joker, I mean Ren Amamiya, the quiet awkward dork who has an uncanny talent for befriending the unlikeliest of people (and even Shadows) and tries (often in vain) to restrain himself from deliberately saying something stupid.
I wouldn’t call femc happier but maybe more bubbly and energetic, standing poses and attack animations alone, you can tell her attitude is different. it comes through in her SL dialogue options more and she’s much more likely to suggest a fight in those interactions as well (notably in the hermit SL she offers to punch the person bothering her friend.
Fantastic video ^ personally I think the ability to name your protagonist has far more significant than being a "self-insert" as too. These games are ALL about character investment as reflected within the social link system and you are the one driving the connection between these characters and the world they're a part of so of course it makes sense to allow the player to become a huge part of that journey. It's mentioned in the Persona 5 Artbook that P3 and P4's protagonists were designed to allow the players to be able to project onto them and ingrain them within the world of the game, Joker was a slight exception as they wanted to allow him to give taunting gazes, and provocative looks at the camera whereas P3's FeMC was intended to reflect the potential for growth which I think she does very well (all of them do) .
The fact Soejima, Wada and Routa never refer to these guys as Makoto/Yu/Ren/Kotone but rather Hero or Heroine tells me, they consider the player as important a part of that experience as anything and they'd never want to undermine that. The Dancing games are a bizarre and I believe that's because 4 Dancing All Night address the player directly in a 4th break but even then they don't refer to the protagonists by their canon names within the story so I don't find it all that significant of a difference. These guys are all you unique in their own ways but their journeys are yours to guide.
2:37 I'm sure you can tell who relates to me the most(my entire Online Profile)
I had a similar experience to Ren Amamiya around the time P5 finally launched(2016 after years of delays)
I was in Foster care and most adults in my life around that time were jerks, especially the foster parents they treated me like shit
I think theres a fine art to a silent protagonist that Persona does very well. A lot of personality can be observed in all of them (Besides P1 boy i guess) through stuff like their design and the dialogue options and even how they interact eith the world around them.
Currently diving into persona rabbit hole after completing P3 Reload, so I am a bit late to this. But naming Makoto "Ed G." (3:43) is fucking hillarious and so real
I don't really mind the methods used for silent protagonists on the whole, for the most part.
For my own preference though, I do prefer my characters, even if they're silent, to have a discernible character, which is part of the reason why I like Joker so much.
I'm not exactly as big on the more exact self-inserts of say, Persona 3 and 4 (at least from my perspective, and as far as the main games are concerned). In fact, while playing P3, I tended to try and act as closely to the movie version as possible since I'm actually a fan of the characterisation in that.
I would say part of the reason the silent protagonists are well liked by other characters in universe isn't because you're save scumming to give the best answers or just pure protagonist power.
They let others speak, they're good listeners and people of action, thats why people open up to them and trust them.
I don't mind these silent protagonists because they have some implied characterization, and generally there's a lot less emphasis on the protag being the best thing since sliced bread and being weirdly approachable and perfect, unlike some other series i play (fire emblem, holy shit FUCK fire emblem avatar characters). These problems still arise in persona protags, but to a much lesser degree.
The protags in Megaten serve what RPG protags usually serve, being a self-insert & a way of steering the story, especially with SMT you can see that, these games you're set in a world where you're faced with deciding the destiny of a world.
Building on what you talked about us supporting the others rather than them focusing on us, I think being silent does a good job in making us a great listener and allows others to open up to us. I'm sure that is intentional, but I just think it's pretty cool, regardless.
I don't mind the silent protagonists, but I do have a small problem with them: despite all having a voice (doing Persona calls, for example), they don't speak when dialogue options come up. You already have a voice actor in the booth saying over a hundred different names of various gods and monsters, why not also have them record the hundred or so lines of dialogue choices as well?
because spoken language carries tone and intent, if it clashes with the expected the discord between the protagonist and the player becomes a growing rift.
people have this problem with games like mass effect and fallout 4 where the protagonist in those games would fly in the face of what people intended with an option
@@hamtierThere's already an implied tone and intent, based on the character's responses to what the protagonist says. If a dialogue choice is supposed to have an inquisitive, sarcastic, or indignant tone, the characters will react accordingly. It doesn't matter if I intended the line "that looks good on you" to be sincere; if the writers wanted that line to be sarcastic, then it will be interpreted as sarcastic by the other characters in the scene.
Also, usually the dialogue options in Persona games are dialogue _choices_ (i.e. the protag only says the short sentence you pick) instead of potentially-dissonant dialogue _prompts_ like Commander Shepard has.
Why is everyone in the comment section so smart and has such interesting opinions this is the kind of audience everyone would kill for
Babe wake up bubble tea released a new persona video
they all have their personalities, you just choose their reactions, a sarcastic one, a angry one and etc, but the options still fit who they are, Yu dialogue options are very different from makoto and joker
These characters actions speak louder than words.
I won’t ever forget how I told Yu to tell all the women party members “get in the damn pageant!”. Bro is pretty cold for that line
I haven't watched the video yet, but I agree with the title. However I would like them to be more expressive when summoning end game personas, I think it would give them a bit more flair whilst keeping them silent most of the time.
After finishing the video I can say I agree completely.
Never really cared for 4’s silent protagonist, and I think it’s mainly because you don’t really have anything that gives you insight into his background until later on in the story, but 3 and 5’s silent protagonists have their backgrounds established pretty much out of the gate, and you get a feel of why the character is motivated to do what they do, even if it’s really meant to be your stand in
11:14 I just got that
ED G.
For Makoto Yuki's Character
Edgy-Kun
12:15 No, they're mostly the same in name only. If you analyze a bit closely, they have different characterization, epsecially Makoto. Yu in PQ which take place in the middle of the main game, has more common sense compare to the anime, with occasionally bizarre quirks here and there. In Arena games and Dancing game, he matures to the point that he's more cheery and confidant with his friends with no weirdness left, replaced with some snarky cheekiness instead. Makoto's depression arc is the movie's addition decided by the movie director, not the game staffs, so his PQ characterization is more laid-back and cheery with comically lare appetite, similar to his manga version but less exaggerated, and a growing interest to bond with SEES members. Overall, the protagonist in the games tends to be more emotive and expressive compare to the anime.
I wont say it's bad to have a silent protag. It's worked so far, but what I would like to see is them talking in cut scenes. Maybe in main key parts when you choose something. It happens a lot in Persona games, but they do that thing where you "say something" then another chara says what you said. The two examples that come to mind are in P4 1. When you're staking out Rise's place and you have to tell Dojima that you just wanted to see her cause she's an idol. Then Yosuke says the exact same thing. 2. At the Inn when you walk in on the girls, and "say" retreat! and Teddie's the one to yell it. (i'm about 3/4's through replaying P4G, so it's fresh in my head.)
The problem, for me at least, is you aren't a silent protag. You actually do A LOT of talking. It's just all done through text. Maybe it would be redundant to just hear what you selected, but there has to be a happy middle ground. So in scenes where you don't have anything to select you seem like a weirdo. Or get over shadowed by other characters.
Personally, I felt like Yu didn't really deal with much isolation at all. Literally his first day of school Chie and Yukiko ask to walk home with him to get to know him better, the next day he starts bonding with Yosuke, and he quickly makes friends in the various clubs and jobs he works at. If anyone was unfairly shunned due to stereotypes it was Joker, not Yu. That's part of why Confidants feel more transactional than Social Links. People don't want to start dealing with him unless they get something out of it.
I totally agree about P4 being wish-fulfillment and Joker being a theater kid though. I don't think P4's wish fulfillment is necessarily a bad thing though. I first played it while I was stuck in bed with pneumonia for a month, and I was indeed feeling pretty lonely. Growing attached to those characters helped keep me sane while I recovered.
( Persona 3 Portable)
FEMC/Kotone: Hold my EVOKER!😮
Silent protagonists are good because you are the character in the story. You get to decide what you do with your time, who you spend time with and what you say. Who you fall in love with. You are the protagonist and that’s a beautiful thing
I feel like the protags actually having personality is even more frustrating considering the fact that their silent. I mean you could’ve had full fledged character arcs with them and stuff but no they have to be silent protagonists. Just feels disappointing
Ren has a arc though...
@@nicktoons125 I don’t have much of a clue what you’re talking about but the fact that he may do just reinforces my point. Sure he may have an arc but do we get his input on it? Does he grow or change as a character? I’d argue no since he’s supposed to be a surrogate to the player.
@@thylere Literally said he doesn't have an arc, I said he does, what do you mean "I don't know what your talking about." I would argue he does change as a character but I'm guessing gonna lead to an argument so......
@@nicktoons125 I was just trying to see what you meant, I don’t want an argument lol. If you want you can stop here cause I don’t wanna get into it with someone.
@@thylere Sorry that I came off as a dick then.
I love the fact that every single persona protagonist has speciffically different personality, I mean dialog options are different. Of course its your decision how your protag will be, but its easy to see that Makoto is this emo kid type, Yu is troll, chad and some kind dumbass and Ren (Joker) is hipster and in cognitive world cocky and super cool guy. Its your decision as I said but I love the small difference in them. (I'm talking about 3, 4 and 5 cuz i didnt play 1 and 2 yet)
This Makes Me wonder If They'll Have Minato talk in the cutscenes In Reload like how Akira did in 5.
Not gonna lie. There weren't that many Anime Cutscenes in 3. (Not gonna talk about Portable lol) And when there was. They were kinda meh looking but that's fine since they were still experimenting with them. (Kinda like how Square was experimenting with FMVs in FF7. They got a lot better by FF8 and 9)
I would like if Makoto said a few lines during the cutscenes though. I need English Dub "I don't care"
Edit: Btw as you can see. I like to call him Makoto. That's what I got used to but it's fine if you like Minato.
@@MariusBoss11458 I say that cuz It seems there's gonna be some In game cutscenes in reload and I wonder If they'll have him say some lines.
Also Thank you. I like the Name Makoto Yuki but Minato Arisato is what i always called him, If only more people wouldn't Make such a scene about other people using different Names for the Protagonists.
@@drew2031 I really don't know if the really is a canon name. Like. Maybe the devs made Makoto Yuki as the Default name but they never said it themselves that THAT is his canon name.
@@MariusBoss11458 I like to imagine the protagonists don't have an actual canon name. thats just the name Atlus themselves use. the fact we still can Name them shows Atlus really doesnt care what we call them.
@@drew2031 Ok people are gonna kill me for this but I actually started the series with Persona 5 Strikers. (Was on PS Plus and decided to try it. Had a blast) anyway, I chose in that game to put my full real name. I honestly regret it. Now when I need to name characters in games. I either make one up or look up a name that the devs chose. Either way. I don't think I'd be as cool as the Protags. All I can do now is to get more Cardio and... *M O R E P R O T E I N*
0:02 take a break dude
Joker is now a theatre kid in my headcanon
Its all about the short lines you can pick and the body language. Their personalities really shine with the joke options and the anime versions (p3 movies included)
Example
Joker trying to unmask a girl pretending to be a monster in the school festival
Or the ENTIRETY OF THE P4 ANIMATED SERIES "but its a big bowl"
Thats personality!
Kinda hope P6 let's us custom create our protagonist
Hey haven't seen the video yet but just dropping a comment to support your content.
I want to be a silent protagonist one day
I think they should have a few voice lines for yes, no and that jazz
Edit: the protagonist should have some semblence of a character so they can have some link experiences for themselves
You're god damn right.
I’m a theater kid and I definitely see joker as one.
I agree persona silent portagonists fit the role they are given, or at least that we think they are given, take Makoto for instance, If you played persona 3 you dont really see any character development from him in any real way during the game. You dont even understand the magnitude of the sacrifice for him as a character, yes you understand him as YOU, but not as the MC......but when you watch the movie, with an actual talking MC you can actually see what the writers wanted Makoto to be, and the evolution on the movies is splendid, It totally changed the way I felt about the game. It might be that persona 3 had a more complicated character than 4-5, but they failed in deliver that character development wich eventually led to the "sacrifice", thus making it less meaningfull.
I tell people all the time the protagonist of persona is you. They're just avatars to project yourself onto
I clicked on this and did a very verbal: hmm 🤔
To me it depends on the game style . Like example , if its all text based or text choices to reply to the npc to make you feel like your the one responding though roleplay . But when you have your character being focused on and all they do is nod and smile and make puzzling animations thats dumb . Its not because they cannot afford a voice actress or actor when they clearly have the budget that they put on a overly dramatic whiney spotlight stealing characters your helping that talks WAY too much . As the protagonist in anime games I should have the spotlight and all the epic fully voiced conversations . Many games feel the need to put you as a mute and those that you help as overly stimulated chatter boxes . One thing I do not like in my anime games that make me want to play a badguy is those that steal my spotlight . Like when I kill the bosses and ONLY me then some allied npc says WE DID IT ! When it was really only me but yet i sit there as a mute . -.-
14:14 Yes. Yes it has.
I feel like the reason why some people are tried of silent protagonists are because they want a character that is like them
joker is da best protagonist because he literally me 😎😎
I've seen you in okbuddypersona, this is truly terrifying
Man, this video is perfect and counters all criticisms towards the Persona silent protagonists, it also addresses how each MC is actually their own character that also grows over time.
The only criticism I have is that you only focused on Persona 3-5 while ignoring 1 and 2 saying that this doesn't apply to them. Though it's fair to ignore the former since there really isn't much going on there for the MC, it really is your average 90s JRPG (though the story is actually good).
On the other hand, the Persona 2 duology handles its MCs amazingly, as one of the 5 people that played those two games, they essentially made Joker before Joker, both MCs have a backstory and a personality and they even grow over time and change.
What makes them even better is that you get to see Tatsuya as both the main character and as a supporting character then the reverse with Maya and see how the characters won't suddenly feel different just cause they got to speak on their own, the Tatsuya/Maya you play as and the ones you play with feel the same (ignoring the spoiler changes to Tatsuya later on) cause they always were their own character.
In a sense, the silent protagonists, specifically the Persona ones work just as well as ones that have their own dialogue and are still their own characters and not some Skyrim level self insert nobodies because of the way they were written, they are characters first before MCs that the player controls.
Me and My Brothers match the Canonical Personalities of All three Modern Protagonists
P5 animation's one of the best I've seen, I would've kept watching but I didn't want to spoil the game experience
good new video keep it up fine lad
"well akkshuaallly" 🤓👆
I don't think most people want adults and a talking protagonist in Persona because they think it's a guaranteed fix, just that it would be a change of pace after 3 games of teens and a silent protag.
Something I want to ask is what do they bring to their games as silent protagonists that can't be had if they were fully their own character and voiced?