'Persona 5' US release date: three new characters unveiled by Atlus

From left to right: Ryuji, the Protagonist, AnnAtlus

Atlus recently released several new tidbits regarding their upcoming RPG "Persona 5" in the most recent issue of Famitsu (via Gematsu). The details from the magazine reveal several new characters and key points regarding the game's story. 

The magazine reveals three brand new characters: Makoto Niijima, Futaba Sakura and Haru Okumura.

Makoto is described as a third-year high school student attending Syujin High School, the same school as the protagonist. She is described as a person with a sharp mind and irreproachable conduct and is also the president of the student council. Her persona is a motorbike named "Joanna," named after Pope Joan from the middle ages.

Futaba is described as shut-in computer genius and is a first-year high school student. She is also said to play a pivotal role in the story and her persona is a mysterious entity known only as the Necronomicon. When she is out in public she covers herself but she behaves normally when around the main protagonist.

Haru is a third-year high school student and is described as the daughter of the president of a big restaurant company. Although elegant and naive she is said to have excellent communication skills and her persona is named Milady, named thematically after the "Three Musketeers."

Other new characters introduced are the young twin girls Justine and Caroline, who guard the Velvet Room. According to the report, there is a vital reason why they are twins and the Velvet Room itself serves as some sort of prison.

The story of "Persona 5" is also stated to cover the span of an entire year. The main characters will have to live their lives as students during the day, taking part-time jobs and going to school, field trips and others.

During the night, they are phantom thieves who infiltrate the warped minds of adults using a special phone called "Isekai-Navi." The mind is referred to as "The Palace" and the characters must steal the adult's hidden desires, which in this game are referred to as "Treasures," as a means of reforming the person.

"Persona 5" launches in Japan this Sept. 15 with a U.S. release to follow.