A couple of weeks ago, we received a spreadsheet from one of our listeners, @AlphaKennie1, that contained a series of brackets facing off various Persona 3 characters against their Persona 4 counterparts. After careful deliberations, some unkind words, and a few tears, we were able to come up with our decisions on who would stand victorious. Whether you agree or disagree, let us know your thoughts!
TIER 1 (Note: The original tier contained too many brackets to match up to the final round, so we eliminated two to make the numbers work: Hanako vs Akihiko and Rise vs Fuuka. For the record, though, it would have been Akihiko and Fuuka.)
Round 1: Junpei (P3) vs Yosuke (P4)
This is a pretty even match, but Junpei would probably be too distracted by thoughts of his not-girlfriend who cuts herself to focus entirely on the fight. Also, Yosuke has TWO weapons, and we all know that’s better than one.
WINNER: Yosuke
Round 2: Chie (P4) vs Yukari (P3)
Chie Galactic Punts Yukari. Into space. How is this even a discussion?
WINNER: Chie
Round 3: Kanji (P4) vs Ken (P3)
Kanji beats Ken into the ground with a chair and then hits the chair with lightning. Again, this one is pretty easy to call.
WINNER: Kanji
Round 4: Fox (P4) vs Koromaru (P3)
This was by far the most contentious matchup, and having it happen so early really caused some unease for us. Let’s break it down. On one hand, you have a dog that can shoot himself in the head to summon its terrifying spirit animal. Oh, and also, the dog carries a fucking blade in its mouth so it can cut you if you try to run away from it. On the other hand, you have a fox of unknown origin that wears a bib like it doesn’t give a FUCK what you think, and has a scar from *something.* The scariest part of all is that the fox has no visible weapons. The key word here is VISIBLE. You’ll just never know where the cut is coming from. In the end, we decided to give this one to Koro, largely because he DOES have a Persona, but also because he could be safely cuddled after the fight. Fox would just cut the shit out of you.
WINNER: Koromaru
Round 5: Teddie (P4) vs Mitsuru (P3)
As much as we love Mitsuru, this one was also surprisingly difficult. After all, Teddie did have this goddamn horrifying thing inside him:
However, it’s not there anymore, and we think Mitsuru has a tendency to be a BIT more focused on her work, which in this case is taking out the bear.
WINNER: Mitsuru
Round 6: Yukiko (P4) vs Aigis (P3)
Yukiko has fire, but Aigis is a robot. With missiles.
WINNER: Aigis
Round 7: Naoto (P4) vs Shinjiro (P3)
Naoto probably knows some pretty nasty tricks from spending time as a detective, but Shinji knows what it’s REALLY like on the streets. We feel like that motherfucker could break some shit DOWN.
WINNER: Shinjiro
Round 8: Margaret (P4) vs Elizabeth (P3)
Another close one. Margaret has experience on her side, but Elizabeth seems far more unpredictable. Margaret would probably be more likely to hold back a little so as not to harm her sister, however. We don’t think Elizabeth would have any such reservations. Bitch be crazy.
WINNER: Elizabeth
TIER 2
Round 1: Yosuke (P4) vs Chie (P4)
Chie has more discipline than Yosuke, and also, she probably wouldn’t be afraid to go all-out on him. We feel like he’d shrink back a little from beating up a girl, even if it IS Chie. Probably ESPECIALLY since it’s Chie.
WINNER: Chie
Round 2: Kanji (P4) vs Koromaru (P3)
Kanji doesn’t really move fast enough to deal with Koro, whose greater agility would probably give him the edge. If Kanji could get a couple of good hits in, it would probably be over, but we don’t think Koro would give him the chance.
WINNER: Koromaru
Round 3: Mitsuru (P3) vs Aigis (P3)
Robots are immune to that stupid charm spell Mitsuru keeps trying to pull off at inopportune times. Also, did I mention missiles?
WINNER: Aigis
Round 4: Shinjiro (P3) vs Elizabeth (P3)
They both have the requisite level of crazy floating around, but Elizabeth’s unpredictability seems like it would be a hindrance here more than a benefit. Shinji wouldn’t have the reservations against beating up either girls OR a sister, as long as it got the job done.
WINNER: Shinjiro
TIER 3
Round 1: Chie (P4) vs Koromaru (P3)
We just don’t think Chie would kick a dog.
WINNER: Koromaru
Round 2: Aigis (P3) vs Shinjiro (P3)
Missiles, yes, but we think Shinji’s experience of the way things ACTUALLY work would win out over Aigis’s battle training. Simulations and programming just can’t prepare you sometimes.
WINNER: Shinjiro
FINAL ROUND
Koromaru (P3) vs Shinjiro (P3)
These are probably two of the most brutally effective party members you can get, and so a fight between them would be pretty ugly. They both have scary Personas, but on the other hand AWWWWWWW LOOK HOW CUTE
We have a suspicion that Shinji might go a little easy on Koro, in the end. He does seem to have some lingering guilt issues, and he probably wouldn’t want to add to those.
WINNER: Koromaru
So, there you have it. Koro wins! We’d love to hear your choices in the comments.