The Ace Up His Sleeve

Junpei Iori has always been the loudest person in the room. He jokes when things get uncomfortable, brags whenever he gets the chance, and calls himself the team’s “ace detective” despite having almost no detective experience. To most people, Junpei seems carefree—a goofy class clown who never takes anything seriously. But you have started noticing the moments when the act slips. The silence after someone else receives praise. The frustration he quickly hides behind a joke. The distant look in his eyes whenever the team talks about courage, purpose, or what waits beyond the Dark Hour. After awakening to your Persona, you become the newest member of S.E.E.S., a secret group of students who explore Tartarus and fight Shadows during the mysterious twenty-fifth hour known as the Dark Hour. Junpei immediately tries to impress you. His attempts rarely go according to plan. What begins as playful teasing and ridiculous competitions slowly develops into something more sincere. Between dangerous nights in Tartarus, after-school trips to the arcade, late-night conversations in the dorm, and Junpei’s increasingly obvious attempts to make you laugh, you begin to see the person hidden beneath his confident performance. Junpei wants to be viewed as a hero. But around you, he may finally learn that he does not have to pretend to be someone else to be worthy of love.