Proof that having your heart stolen by the remaining 10% is worth the prep work.
These are recommendations made by Tropers for Persona 5 fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found here.
You can also add to the current recommendations if you want. Refrain from posting Conversation in the Main Page though; that goes on the discussion page.
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Authors and Websites
Notable fanfic writers and the sites their stories are hosted on.
Circuit
Circuit
- Recommended by Tropers/Josiahstick
- You may already know Circuit for writing Queen of Hearts, and I've already gushed on about her work under that story's recommendation entry. However, I was reading her work when she started even before that, writing one-shots for Makoto Niijima Week. And all of these one-shots are fantastic. Whatever she writes, I'd say it's almost certainly worth reading.
- Recommended by Blackie 62
- Starting with a multi-chapter story wherein Shiho becomes a Phantom Thief, the author has constructed a well thought out Polythieves LGBT+ extravaganza of an alternate universe where the Phantom Thieves are each given detailed and believable sexualities beyond the game's heteronormativity and end up in a labyrinthine web of a relationships note . As of writing this recommendation the AU has one finished story, a healthy number of shorter pieces, and another longer story set after Persona 5 that crosses over all four previous installments and mainline Shin Megami Tensei.
- Recommended by solfieri, N8han11
- Literally every story by this writer is worth reading. They are wonderful character studies, showing tidbits of the Phantom Thieves as friends and depicting interactions that were barely touched upon in canon, but which work in a beautifully organic way. Her stories are so heartwarming they put a smile in your face, without ever feeling saccharine or frivolous.
- Recommended by solfieri
- This author specializes in in-depth, sensitive character studies that do an amazing job filling the gaps left by the game and exploring the character's histories before and during the events of the game. She also writes beautifully, with an elegant prose and brilliant use of metaphors.
- Recommended by eiranerys
- Turtleeden writes mostly Joker x Ann fics, but she has an excellent grasp on their characterizations. She mainly focuses on what happens after Ann's romance route is pursued. She has done several fics with them during Persona 5, but she has also written them having graduated from high school and them as young parents. She portrays them as a very mutual, loving, and supportive couple. If you're a Joker x Ann fan, you'll definitely be satisfied with her writing.
- Recommended by: Mitis
- Best known for the Forewarned is Forearmed series, she specializes in AU fics with themes of found family, often crossing over with previous Persona games. She has an excellent grasp on characterization and her plot twists will keep you guessing until the very end.
- Recommended by Zeryuo, Taxima, Mosquito Man, Unclouded TJ, Red-Dead-Redeemer, Mitis, Vellaen, N8han11
- The author writes many character interactions that normally doesn't happen in-game such as ones between the party members and NPC confidants. There is shipping between Akira/Makoto, but they are not the main focus of most of the stories outside of The Amamiya Investigation. Also, with the exception of The Evil Queen and The Phantom Queen, they all take place in the same continuity, The AFR Universe.
General Fics
Multi-chapter Stories focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.
Another Surprise by The Strike Commander
Another Surprise
by The Strike Commander- Recommend by: En_Passant
- Status: Dead; last updated June 2019
- Synopsis: Set several years after the events of P5, our protagonist returns to Tokyo following a mysterious invitation. Life has progressed typically for the majority of the ex-Phantom Thieves. However, unforeseen events thrust our protagonist, the ever-loyal Morgana, and the unstoppable Sakamato Ryuji back into a life of covert crime fighting.
- Comment: Despite the blurb, all the Thieves are back, alongside some interesting new characters with even more interesting twists on the Metaverse. The story stays incredibly true to canon: The protagonist isn't named, using first-person when writing from his perspective, and the romance tree is just as open as in canon - and it's a major point of contention for Joker.
Add ReviewBeacon in the Desert by VillainFan42
- Recommended by: Mitis
- Status: Dead (last updated March 2021)
- Synopsis: After a pretty lousy first day at school, Ren accidentally learns about his legal guardian's adopted daughter and can't keep his nose out of their problems. But nothing is ever simple, especially after somehow winding up in the middle of the desert with that back-alley doctor along for the ride.
- Tags: What If?
Behind the Mask by SharkbaitSekki
- Recommended by: TheElcorSpectre
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: In which the Phantom Thieves accidentally discover that Akira Kurusu, their Leader, best friend, and inspiration, has a Palace. (In which the boy who's been a pillar so far discovers that he cannot repress his pain anymore). Minor spoilers for the game, detailed inside. Sort of a character study in a dynamic style.
- Tags: One-Shot Fic
- Comments: Oh My Lord! This huge one-shot was able to pack so much into a single one-shot. On-point characterization and so many tearjerking as well as a few heartwarming moments. Just give it a read, I promise you will not be disappointed.
- Recommended by Oxxi, solfieri, LinkSeasonMaster, Draconic
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A year has passed since the Phantom Thieves struck down a god and saved Tokyo from a terrible fate. But when people all over the globe begin to suffer from "Paranoia Syndrome," mysterious seizures which leave them contorted and unconscious, Akira Kurusu finds himself in the Velvet Room once more, demanding answers for the affliction. His investigation leads him to the Dead Sea, the rotted remnants of the cognitive world, where all things go to be forgotten - including someone the Thieves had thought to be long gone. Meanwhile, Akira's comatose body is found in the waking world, and his terrified friends suspect the worst. As Akira's confidants struggle to learn the truth behind Paranoia Syndrome, he and Goro Akechi approach a fated confrontation in the decaying shell of the cognitive Tokyo. Together, the Phantom Thieves must reunite and destroy the evil festering beneath the Dead Sea's waters, before its malignant influence unravels civilization forever.
- Comments: This multi-chapter gen fic is one of the best I have seen for this game, and this is not an easy feat. The characterization is on-point, and even if the focus is on a specific character, everyone else has an important role to play, even Soujirou. There are moments that can be heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, in a very realistic way, and it's an excellent work for people who were not satisfied with the ending that Akechi had in the game. The writing is also on-point. The author can make scenes where everyone is just talking have the same impact of the ones that have tension in the air. 100% recommended.
- Seriously, the people in the comment section are not joking when they say this is one of the best P5 fanfics written in the fandom tag. It feels like the proper sequel for the game. Every scene mattered, and the use of scenes for foreshadowing was a delight to read. Something you see in a chapter will play an important role in the future, but you don't know this until you see why they were important. We don't have words to recommend this work enough.
- Indeed. In my opinion, having only read about the Persona 5 game story in passing detail, I found reading this story gripping and quite cathartic in its storytelling/narrative, and its themes. I feel this story should, by all means, deserve its own page. My only fear is that some would end up spoiling themselves reading it.
- It has now a proper page, with all the spoiler tags.
Butterfly Cascade by TwilightKnight17
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: solfieri, infernape612, Regenbogen, HT-the-Turtle
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: One choice can be enough to destroy, to set events into motion that only end in tragedy. But that also means that one choice can be enough to give the story a different outcome. Something broken is always capable of being repaired, even when the ones doing the repairing aren't in the greatest shape themselves…
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Goro Akechi
- Comments: Not exactly a novelization of the game, although it follows the order of palaces and events, but diverges and expands significantly on the source material, and also crosses over with other Persona titles. This fic shows a lot of promise. Half of the narrative focus is on Akechi, so his motivation and relationship with Akira gain some much-needed depth, and the fic also explores certain points that get ignored in canon, such as why it took the Phantom Thieves months to acknowledge that they knew Akechi had been to the Metaverse. This author's other Persona fics are also highly recommended, even the more explicit ones.
- Also worth noting is that this fic is part 8 of a series called the Hours 'Verse that brings all 6 Persona games into one shared universe, all of which are worth a look. The link is here.
- Also worth noting is that this fic is part 8 of a series called the Hours 'Verse that brings all 6 Persona games into one shared universe, all of which are worth a look. The link is here.
Challenge Accepted by UknownHero
- Recommended by BlackSunNocturne, GarthSerca, Mitis, BobtheBoldore
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: There was one thing you should never do and that was underestimate the power of a Phantom Thief. The other thing you should never do is underestimate Akira Kurusu because if you dare challenge him... well, it's your funeral. Sae Niijima learned this the hard way.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima
- Tags: One-Shot Fic, Humor, Trolling, Be Careful What You Wish For, Crack Fic
- Challenge Accepted Harder is a sequel where the other Phantom Thieves get to utterly troll Sae thanks to something Akira manages to pull off. We also learn a little bit more about that Noodle Incident with the lemons.
- Challege Accepted: The Royal is another sequel where Yoshizawa is the one brought in for questioning. Sae never saw it coming~
- Challenge Accepted Harder
- Comments: You know the joke the Persona 5 fandom came up with about the Protagonist telling Sae about his life in extreme, borderline uncomfortable detail and telling Sae about how he had sex with Makoto? Someone made a fanfic based exactly on those jokes. It's filled with pure comedy based on the former, and the latter essentially forms one of the punchlines. The author also states in the fanfic its original title was Akira is an Asshole, and includes a Noodle Incident with a lemon (which to Sae's horror, she wants to try). Also, there's a The Dark Knight reference in it.
- Recommended by: Neverwhere, Taxima, Unclouded TJ, Red-Dead-Redeemer, Mitis, Vellaen, BobtheBoldore
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Joker promised his confidants his help, but is currently sick in bed. The rest of the Phantom Thieves decide to help them in Joker's place.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima
- Comments: From Futaba teaching Toranosuke how to use Twitter to Haru volunteering at the Air Soft store, this fic explores the interactions between various confidants and the members of the Phantom Thieves, often with amusing and heartwarming results.
Confidantial Confessions by TaurusVersant
- Recommended by: santos32, Mitis
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Akira has been presented a choice when interacting with his female Confidants: declare his affections or affirm their status as friends and nothing more. What if he had a third option, one which allowed him to express how much he cares for them without trying to pursue a romance?
- Comment: Aka: "Platonic Life-Partners: the fanfiction". The author introduces a third dialogue choice that shows how Joker dedicates himself to his female allies: not as a loving boyfriend who tends to their needs or an aloof acquaintance that keeps his distance in spite of his bonds, but as a close friend who genuinely wants to help them solve whatever personal issues they face, despite working himself to near-exhaustion in order to do so. While all his non-Phantom Thieves Confidants all have their own satisfying arcs to wrap up, the other girls in the party probably have the best to work with: Joker with a stronger reaffirmation of friendship to counter Ann's loneliness at Shiho leaving by saying that "[she] has us" and not "the others", helping Makoto re-focus on her own personal goals as an individual rather than be sidetracked by romance, and extending an invitation to Futaba for them to become the surrogate siblings they were always meant to be. The final chapter's fallout with his non-answer to Haru, instead choosing to have Haru focus on Joker's tired state after giving so much of himself to help others, is an equally-strong finale that may not wrap their relationship up, but summarizes just how much he pushes himself to care for those he loves (not in that way).
Confide in Me by BlazingEmblem
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: Mitis
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: An alternate take on the interrogation with Sae Niijima: the tale of the Phantom Thieves' first six excursions fails to register any good faith with her. To earn her trust, Joker tells her more; without revealing his confidants' identities, he tells her of how he formed his bonds with each of them. As Sae slowly registers the personal motivations of the Phantom Thieves and the lives that they've changed, the Judgment link slowly grows to accept Joker's tale.
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima, Ryuji Sakamoto/Eiko Takao
- Tags: Alternate Universe Fic, Humor, borderline Crack Fic
- Also has a sequel, Believe in Me (also Complete)
- Also has a sequel, Believe in Me
- Recommended by: wastingtowels, solfieri, BobtheBoldore
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Her father is a hole in her mouth where a tooth should be, still aching from the dentist's pliers, forgettable for an hour, an afternoon, until she probes it with her tongue, sending an aching shockwave down her jawline. In which Haru learns to depend on her friends and herself. (Spoilers through 10/11.)
- Comments: An absolutely wonderful, heartwarming one-shot from Haru's perspective about the Phantom Thieves supporting each other and helping Haru deal with her father's death, with the help of a late-night pinata. It's these types of interactions between the team I wish we could have seen more of in the game.
- Recommended by: talewind
- Status: Dead; last updated April 2021
- Synopsis: Nearly five months after her graduation from Shujin Academy, Makoto Niijima is enjoying summer vacation with her partner, Ren Amamiya. As they reminisce, Makoto's lingering scars from the past call into question her seemingly restored relationship with her older sister, Sae Niijima. Resolving to amend their conflict once and for all, Makoto approaches Sae with a request for family counseling.
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Nijima, background Ann Takamaki/Shiho Suzui
- Comment: Written by an actual family therapist, this is a fascinating delve into the minds of both Makoto and Sae and their fractured relationship. Contains Royal spoilers.
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by Teekays, Vellaen
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Akira Kurusu. Delinquent. Thief. Leader. Hero. Who is he? How many masks can one man wear?
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima.
- Tags: Alternate Universe Fic
- Comments: One of the best ongoing novelizations for this game so far. With the steady updates, the prose for this story is well put together. It starts off slow in the beginning due to the retelling of the story of the game but it eventually diverges and grips you to wanting more despite knowing how the game goes. The writing and characters are on point where you feel like you're in the game especially with their awakening scenes. I recommend this greatly for any persona fans.
Daredevil, You've Hit the Wall by ez_cookie
- Recommended by: Halogen, transparentanswer
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Akira thought his career was over as a Phantom Thief, and he was happy enough to keep it that way. After all, he couldn't stand the thought of losing someone close to him again. But shortly after arriving in Tokyo, his worst fears are confirmed. The Metaverse is back, and the world is counting on him to fix it, by putting himself and his loved ones at risk all over again. It's not up to him anymore. The show must go on.
- Comments: A good fic that keeps everyone in character. I'm especially impressed by the handling of Akechi, who I find is written really nicely, when I usually find similar works either portray him as having done nothing wrong or as straight up evil. The perspective is passed around a lot, meaning all the characters get some time in the spotlight. It also updates regularly every other Sunday.
Definition of Home by JosephineSilver
- Recommended by: Transistor_Blue
- Status: Dead (last updated June 2017)
- Synopsis: Home. It's a tricky word, for Akira. It's an undefined place. He's not actually entirely sure he knows what it means - or at least, what it's meant to mean. And, truthfully...he's not as quite alone in that as he thinks. A year is a long time, even if it passes by quickly - more than enough time to discover what the definition of home actually is.
- Comments: Definition of Home is a canon retelling that looks like it will diverge quite a bit from the game's plot. It stays fresh and unique though, focusing in on characters and relationships inbetween the bigger moments that we didn't get to see in canon, making everyone seem so real and genuine. The author's characterisation of EVERYONE is excellent - possibly the best I've seen in the entire fandom so far - and their take on Akira's backstory is heartwarming in a way I didn't expect going into it. For found family feels and just some damn good well-written fic, I can't recommend this one enough.
Fabricati Diem (To Protect and Serve) by minkhollow
- Recommend by: Unclouded TJ, Vellaen
- Status: Dead; last updated October 2018
- Synopsis: In which Haru's father hires some new domestic help to keep an eye on his daughter, and things go far better for her than she'd dared to hope.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima
- Comments: In a world without the Metaverse App or Mental Shutdowns Makoto and Akira have been hired as a maid/butler duo for Haru for her protection. However their whole job as far as they see it is to protect Haru even from her own fiance — or herself. A brilliant one-shot that gives an amusing look into what might have been.
- Recommend by: kaleidoscope89
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: P3/P5 Niijima Family AU. The foundation of the Sanada/Arisato/Niijima household had been rooted in one thing. Secrecy. But with the appearance of the Phantom Thieves, that foundation begins to crack.
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima, Minako Arisato/Akihiko Sanada
- Comments: An alternate universe wherein Makoto Niijima is daughter of Minako Arisato and Akihiko Sanada. Due to Akihiko's fear of his work as a police officer potentially harming his family, his daughters Sae and Makoto take on the name 'Niijima' which has consequences especially with Sae's anger. The story jumps between the POV's of the family (plus Ren Amamiya) as the Persona 5 plot progresses. Since the parents of the are former Persona users, it's only inevitable certain operatives enter the plot themselves.
- Now has its own page. Also, it's 170+ chapters long at this point, still going, and a gargantuan 700,000 words long as of mid 2022. The author is certainly dedicated.
- FFN link
- Recommended by: Rutherford Dingo, 9thOutWorldsMan
- Status: Dead; last updated April 2018
- Synopsis: "You truly are interesting. Under different circumstances, we could have been great rivals, or perhaps even friends." Either of those would be ideal, but let's see what happens when Goro and Ren are brothers.
- Pairing(s): Goro Akechi/Haru Okumura, Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima, Ryuji Sakamoto/Ann Takamaki
- Comments: A really interesting What If? fic where Goro is adopted by Ren's family, leading to the both of them becoming Phantom Thieves. While it's still in the beginning of the story, the fic already shows a lot of promise from what it's doing with the characters. While Goro is subjected to Adaptational Heroism, it doesn't get to the level of Draco in Leather Pants, as the story makes it clear that he's still an asshole, despite not being evil; this also adds a lot of intrigue to the How We Got Here aspect of the story where Goro seems to have begrudgingly betrayed the team. Ren acts as a great Foil to Goro by being a laid back idealist to counter Goro's more serious cynicism. One of the best parts, though, is Haru showing up from day one, since that really shows how much the formula is being shaken up, and the way the three play off each other is great. Updates are kind of sporadic, but it's definitely worth a read.
in which Goro Akechi is an actual detective bySquiped Mew
- Recommended by: DigiXBot
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Goro Akechi lives and dies on his own rules. And one of the unshakable ones is how to always be cool - to always land on your feet when trouble arises. HOWEVER - that fact notwithstanding - "What?" Is the only thing that comes out of his mouth when he looks at the massive dome over his head. 'What' is the only thing one can say when they've seemingly been teleported into FUCKING. SPACE. Or: Akechi is an actual detective, who's getting increasingly annoyed with the Phantom Thieves and decides to take matters into his own hands.
- Comment: An interesting AU where Goro was never recruited to be Ren's opponent, and became a legitimate detective. However, the strain of maintaining the celebrity detective facade over his stressed-out orphan self grades at him, enough for his close friend Ren to take notice.
It Takes a Village by shouldbeworking
- Recommended by: rzrettig96
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: June, 20XX. Each passing day brings new challenges, and each passing day brings his plan closer to fruition. So, who cares if he keeps remembering things that never happened? So what if there are eight Phantom Thieves, rather than the three he expected? And so what if their leader has proven surprisingly adept at avoiding him? None of it matters. A new game is starting, and Akechi Goro is going to win it.
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Goro Akechi
- Comment: An exceptionally well-done "New Game+" fic from Akechi's POV where he knows on some level that things aren't quite what they're supposed to be, but resolves to carry out his plans with Shido regardless. Things unravel from there, as you might expect. Featuring Futaba trolling Akechi to hell and back, Akechi discovering how to form Confidants (to his general dismay), and one of the best-written Protag/Akechi relationships I've ever come across.
- Recommended by: ShiroKun
- Status: Dead; last updated May 2018
- Synopsis: AU Kimura Jun has never been particularly lucky. It's something that she's come to terms with after being sent away on probation. Though after a sudden turn of events, she finds that there's only so much she can take before she's decided she's had enough...and fights back. [Fem!Joker/Fem!Akira fic]
- Rating: Fiction T (though M might be a bit better)
- Comments: I'm honestly shocked that this wasn't added on earlier. However, in spite of that, I very highly recommend this fic to check out. Also being a novelization of the Persona 5 story, in changes things with the fact that rather than being the male Akira Kurusu, our main character is the decidedly female Jun Kimura. And rather than just making the story a straight and clean cut switch, the change to the MC's gender has some big effects on her introduction and interactions with others. Jun was actually accused of not only assault, but of prostitution, and this has an effect on everyone's initial perceptions of her. Furthermore, her interactions with each character in the story is interesting and fun, with my favorite so far being the motherly nature that Haru shows around the meek, yet strong-willed Jun. Also, for those interested in stories similar to this, the author has also made the highly acclaimed Persona 4 FeMC novelization, Façade, which can be read here where it's being slowly rewritten or here where the original draft exists
- Recommended by: solfieri
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Unsurprisingly, he need not ask them to be his. It is only natural.
- Comments: A series of one-shots set in an AU where Akira is a Shinto priest and the other Phantom Thieves are various deities such as kitsune, phoenixes and dragons, or miko. The stories are written in elegant prose, with a timelessness and mystery like that of ancient fables. They could be taken as a standalone work of original fiction if not for the connections with canon evident through little details, namely Akira's role as a solver of problems (sometimes with the help of Arsene, here a "baku" spirit) around whom the other characters gravitate. There are hints of Akira/Yusuke, Akira/Ryuji, Akira/Ann and Akira/Makoto, but they are subtle and, with the exception of one story, secondary to the narrative. Highly recommended, and this troper truly wishes the author wrote more stories in this AU.
A Light to the Truth by RSturman
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: Knowledgeseeker66
- Status: Ongoing
- Pairing(s): Rin Kurusu (Female P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima (Yuri pairing)
- Synopsis: Rin Kurusu was falsely charged with assault and thrown into a new start as a criminal in the big city against her will. With a haunted past following her and a previous life of solitude, she hopes to make the most of a new start. However, as soon as she arrives she is thrust into a game of fate as a Trickster and a Phantom Thief. With the help of her new friends and fellow Phantom Thieves, she fights against the distortions and herself to find her true self again.
- Comment: It does not shy away from the dark subject matter in the game, and in some cases makes it more so.
- Note: The author credits Dowdz, the writer of "Crimson", with inspiring the story. There are plot elements the two stories share, but there are more than a few differences to separate them.
The Many Arrests of the Phantom by josiahstick
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: Harasser Von Assgrab
- Status: Dead (last updated August 2017)
- Synopsis: In the nights leading up to the day of stealing a Treasure, Kurusu Akira always has a disturbing nightmare about a terrible thing happening. Not only that, but Akira is being sought after by the Ace Detective Akechi Goro, and must outfox him in a thrilling game of wits. In doing so, he discovers an assault on his psyche by a mysterious force, leading to... bigger things.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima.
- Tags: Psychological drama, spoilers.
- Comments: The story explores Akira/The Protagonist's mental disposition during the events of the game, and fixes some perceived plot flaws including: where the bad endings came from (disregarding the dramatic convenience of drugs), Haru's underwhelming presence in the story, what Akechi knows, minor game stuff, romance/fluff (in this case, Akira/Makoto), and also includes a host of additional details. Careful though, this fic is intended to supplement the game, and as such, it contains heavy spoilers. Some chapters can also be a bit more graphic than others.
The Many Quirks of Phantom Thievery by Psychic Beagle
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: santos32, Mitis
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Delving into the hearts of criminals and fighting heart demons is all well and good, but there's no way the people that do it are normal. Let's see what they get up to, eh?
- Pairing(s): Makoto Niijima/Haru Okumura, implied Ann Takamaki/Shiho Suzui
- Comment: A pseudo-rewrite of the game, comprised mainly through small scenes that tend to depict the moment-to-moment interactions between the Phantom Thieves and Akira's Confidants, along with several tweaks to the story that change the flow of certain events; for example, Sojiro being a key figure in Futaba's Palace heist. There's also the Thieves' ability to manifest some of their Persona powers in the real world, the presence of Akira's single mother, and Joker himself written as goofy, tragic yet ultimately heroic figure who messes with everyone frequently on account of being asexual. It's much, much more better than I tried selling it here. There's also a spin-off focusing on the pairing between Makoto and Haru, and another applying this same concept to the Investigation Team.
Monsooned Malabar by AngelDormais
- Recommended by: solfieri
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: He was hard on the kid because he'd sensed the ego from the start. Coffee brought them closer; his daughter brought them together; but Tokyo preferred Akira dead. In which Sojiro wants things to be simple, and Akira still makes time for it.
- Comments: A very heartwarming missing-scenes fic focused on the aftermath of Akira's interrogation, and the development of their relationship in general, from Sojiro's point of view.
- Recommended by: DefinitelyNotSlyCooper
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: The bond that linked the two of them had become a noose around her neck. She hung from it, gasping for air as she reached out to him. She pleaded for him to come back, to accept her, to love her, but he was walking away. He was ignorant of her plight as she hung there. He let her body hang there as he held another girl in his arms.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima, (One-sided) Futaba Sakura/Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)
- Tags: (alleged Tragedy) Angst/Romance
- Review
- DefinitelyNotSlyCooper: Short, "sweet," and really good look inside the head of Futaba. Great exploration of character, and really captures the feel of first love.note
- This troper has to disagree with this recommendation. The premise comes off as a bit too mean-spirited with the reveal and just leaves the story off on a very depressing note.
- Recommended by: Josiahstick
- Status: Dead; last updated December 2017
- Synopsis: Akira Kurusu has accepted Yaldabaoth's deal, and the world no longer thinks for itself. Akira is using the Phantom Thieves to, at the very least, protect the people within this corrupted world, but things aren't going as well as they could be, and tensions are rising among the Phantom Thieves. Without a doubt, this decision will have profound impacts on the Phantom Thieves, the world, and himself.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Futaba Sakura
- Comments: This is a really intense and thoughtful fleshing out of the second alternate ending to the game, exploring the potential ramifications of accepting Yaldabaoth's deal on the public of Tokyo, especially the Phantom Thieves as a team, and as friends. Very, very well done thus far.
Persona 5: Daywatch by Ganheim
- Recommended by: AuroVee, king-of-fuffies
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Akira is banished to Tokyo by his own father. What begins as a near-suicidal quest for vengeance becomes a desperate attempt to turn the pieces of his life into an honest whole. Aided by clever strategists and opposed by supernatural puppeteers, one lost boy's quest for something greater clashes those who would think themselves gods over men, and demons within.
- Pairing(s): Akira/Hifumi
- Comments: An interesting spin of events of the game, including the fact that Akira is Catholic and goes to church every Sunday - thereby meeting Hifumi earlier than intended, and starting with the Persona Pillar of Heaven instead of Arsene. It also changes up events, such as Makoto getting the Thieves to stop Kaneshiro shortly after Kamoshida's confession instead of after Madarame is dealt with, as well as Morgana being made the leader of the Thieves because Akira didn't feel he could lead them properly even though he is the Wild Card. Akira's relationship with Hifumi is a cute slowburn that meshes well with the rest of the plot and the major themes of the fic.
Persona 5: Hoshi to Bokura to by SkyRig (formerly Starlight's Poet)
- Recommended by Otaku-Nation666, hubakon1368
- Status: Dead (discontinued)
- Undergoing rewrite as Persona 5: With the Stars and Us (Ongoing)
- Undergoing rewrite as Persona 5: With the Stars and Us
- Synopsis: After being put on probation, Akira Kurusu is forced to move to Tokyo, living with a prosecutor who is the daughter of his family's late friend, and her younger sister. However, unknown to him, ruin awaits...as does the distortion that lies within the hearts of corrupt adults. [A novelization of Persona 5, with some of Atlus' original ideas included before being scrapped]
- Comments: If there was ever a perfect novelization and insight as to how Persona 5 would have been if Atlus gone through with its original ideas...this would be it. The author does a remarkable job regarding Sae's thoughts on taking Akira in, and the deviations that are presented, such as Makoto entering the Palace along with Ryuji and Akira, are well-thought-out.
Persona 5: The Trickster's Trials by Black Fuego
- Recommended by LinkSeasonMaster
- Status: Dead; last updated June 2020
- Synopsis: The world is in Ruin. Distortion is rampant, and humanity will fall. During such times, those who wish to change their fate would rise up and rebel against their foes. From time to time, such rebels were referred to as Tricksters. Now, as society is at the cusp of destruction, a new group of Tricksters will rise up to free the world from ruin. Will they succeed? Or fall to despair?
- Comments: A well-written retelling of the game, with some very noticeable alterations, many of which take inspiration from rejected concepts that never made it into the game.
The Queen and the Shogun by turtleeden
- Recommended by: Infinity_Fool
- Status: Dead; last updated July 2021
- Synopsis: The Phantom Thieves' next target, Junya Kaneshiro, is a mafia boss who has been terrorizing high school students into trafficking drugs and other unimaginable crimes through astounding debt. His eventual downfall is imminent when two particular young girls, who have different situations surrounding them, get involved with the Phantom Thieves in order to steal his heart.
- Comment: An essential rewrite of Kaneshiro's arc, but with Kaneshiro targeting not only Makoto but also Hifumi, as her mother made a deal with him in order to ensure Hifumi's popularity as a shogi player through blackmailing and other methods, which leads her to become a Phantom Thief as well. Turtleeden does well with expanding what we find out during Hifumi's confidant, as well as reworking the buildup to Makoto's awakening. It's still early on the story, but it already is looking promising.
- Trope page here
- Recommended by: Knowledgeseeker66, Unclouded TJ, Tropers/Josiahstick
- Status: Dead (discontinued)
- Synopsis: The founder and leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Makoto Niijima, has been arrested in the midst of their latest heist. The drugs and beatings her captors had already inflicted on her was bad enough, but having to detail her past year of crimes to her own sister on top of that... Can Makoto actually bridge the gap that's formed between them, or will her story only serve to further push Sae away?
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima, Ann Takamaki/Shiho Suzui
- Comments: An interesting take of what it could have been like if Makoto was chosen to be the Wild Card along with having an alternative first meeting with Akira. A story that has a lot of potential.
Queen's Checkmate by blazingEmblem
- Page is underconstruction here.
- Recommended by: Bassikun, N8han11
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: She was captured, drugged, and beaten. Face to face with her own sister. With her life on the line, the founder and leader of the Phantom Thieves, Makoto Niijima, must prove her justice and mend her relationship with Sae... by detailing the events of the past year.
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima
- Comments: Has a similar premise to Queen of Hearts above; Makoto is chosen as the Wild Card and becomes the leader of the Phantom Thieves after a series of events. The characters are loyal to their canon characterizations in both Persona 5 and Royal, but the writer knows how to adapt each of them to the story without them feeling out of character, but special mention goes to how it explores Sae and Makoto's relationship given their situation. Includes returning confidants from Persona 5 as well as new ones. Definitely a story worth looking into, especially if you're a fan of the Makoto/Joker ship. Is updated regulary, usually every two weeks.
Reforming the Shattered by Dev0ted
- Recommended by: Aussie Ranga
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Akira Kurusu just wanted a normal life with his hometown friends, but after a chance encounter with a truly awful man, he lost everything. Sumire Yoshizawa had always lived in her sister’s shadow and was tired of it all, but now her sister is comatose and she is an outcast. The only thing left of them is their broken selves; they will never find happiness again... Though, perhaps together... They may be able to pick themselves up off the ground and march towards a brighter future. Only time will tell...
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Sumire Yoshizawa
- Comments: A well-written rewrite with plenty of twists. A perfect fit for those who wish for Sumire to be more involved with the story outside of the third semester. Akira having one of the more unique personalities compared to how he is usually written in P5 fics is also certainly refreshing to read.
Senpai Please tell me its not true by jamesb497
- Recommended by: AussieRanga
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Kasumi hasn't seen or heard from Ren since they fought together in Sae's Palace. She tries texting and calling him but gets no response. That's when She heard the news that Ren was captured and had committed suicide.
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Kasumi Yoshizawa
- Comment: This fic is an excellent look on Kasumi's reaction to Ren's suicide announcement after the Niijima heist. An excellent read for those that wanted to see Kasumi's reaction to what happened. This fic does contain spoilers for Royal.
Shattered, Scattered by Turandot (LostOzian)
- Recommended by: Shadeblade96
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: On Christmas Eve, Akira took hold of the Holy Grail and then immediately took the fall for his friends. Struggling to cope with the traumatic solitude of prison and the weight of humanity’s distorted desires, he develops a Palace. Actually, he develops Palaces, plural. Twenty-two of them in total.
- Comment: An extremely impressive alternate take of Royal's Third Semester. The delve into Akira's psyche and the cracked lens his confidants are viewed through is intriguingly distorted, and the Thieves' responses to everything only get more emotional once they reach the Palaces based on themselves. And, as the tags boast, there's a LOT of metaphors at work. Naturally, spoilers for Royal.
Strange New World by BloodRedTitanium1022
- Recommended by: EinharAesir
- Trope Page here
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: 50 years have passed since a strange incident destroyed the world as we know it. Shadows - supernatural creatures that emerged from the underground - paralysed the system and drove the surviving people out of the cities. Settlements were built to keep the shadow-threat at bay while humanity got used to a more survival-oriented lifestyle. But in a society where the laws aren’t upheld anymore, the amount of people who bend the rules to their own will increases. And with no executive, the protection of the innocent falls into the hands of individuals. Ren Amamiya is no stranger to the injustice of this new order of the world, and neither is the rest of the rag-tag group of friends that had become a part of his family over the last years. Having grown up in these challenging times and without knowing any different, they soon have to ask the question: Who will stand up to help the people in need, but them?
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya(P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Nijima, Ryuji Sakamoto/Ann Takamaki, Yuuki Mishima/Shiho Suzui, Yusuke Kitagawa/Haru Okumura
- Comments: Strange New World is an Alternate Universe Fic retelling of the Persona 5 storyline that is somewhat inspired by The Last Of Us and Fallout taking place in a post-apocalyptic Japan where shadows have overrun the world. Since Personas don't exist in this world, Ren and his Ragtag Bunch of Misfits are forced to survive in this harsh world against shadows and corrupt adults using nothing but their weapons and wits. It's a very well written fic filled with many tense and emotional moments that keep you invested. It also is one of the best portrayals of Ren Amamiya that this troper has ever read. The romance in the story is of the slow-burn variety, but it is extremely satisfying when it finally pays off.
- Update: as of May 2022, Strange New World and its sequel, Strange New World 2, are finished.
Succession by P5soleilnoir
- Recommended by: Gbubu, Junji
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: The whims of fate had decided that Akechi Goro couldn't die yet. At first, he despaired. Then, he realized that might have been exactly what he wanted. A fresh start. Another chance. A new beginning. And now, he will do anything in his power to atone for his sins and save the only person who had reached out to him. He will be tricked, rejected, betrayed, used again and again, there's no denying it. And yet, his newfound resolve won't falter. This is the way Akechi Goro will challenge the world.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Goro Akechi
- Comments: A Fix Fic for the game's most prominent Ensemble Dark Horse.
- Seriously though, this fanfiction. I don't know what to say about it because it's so great that I don't have words for it. If you're frustrated that Akechi Goro died the way he is in the game because it felt unsatisfying, this is just for you. Among the many fanfics I've read, this one is clearly one of the most well-outlined story. It just suck in your attention from the get-go, because of a "particular" mechanic. I'll leave you to discover that.
- P.S Hey unknown_name, if you're reading this - And I know you will - I must thank you for the wonderful treat. Don't be afraid and just go and do what you must. You're almost there. Your faithful reader, Junji.
- As of September 2020, Succession has undergone a general rewrite, and now features illustrations and a new commentary by the author.
- Recommended by: Neo Chaos
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Akira and the rest of the Ex-Phantom Thieves struggle to find meaning in their adult lives fifteen years after the events of the game.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Haru Okumura, Ryuji Sakamoto/Ann Takamaki
- Comments: A pretty good fic that takes a look at the question - how do the teenage heroes of fantasy stories like Persona's handle moving on to adulthood and from their world-saving youth?
Texts from Home by NextTrickAnvils
- Recommended by: euan112358
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Text messages between Akira Kurusu and his parents during his year in Tokyo.
- Comments: A Log Fic taking the form of chat messages between Akira and his parents Hideaki and Rina, during the year of him being away from home. It doesn't get too deep in the weeds, but the family banter between father and son, the sharing of kitty pictures between mother and son, the perspective of the goings-on from outside the city, and the premise that Joker has a solid, loving anchor to his life back home, all work great in providing a nice family fic. Also, slight crossover with P4 in that the Kurusus live in Inaba.
Under the Blood Soaked Mask by FlOrangey
- Recommended by: Neverwhere
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Their plan worked. However while they knew the risks, none of them thought of the consequences. Not even their leader, until it was too late. The events of Akira's interrogation begin to haunt him in his dreams, and the weight of the world and the year begins to crush him. Then when his mask breaks, Makoto and the others are forced to put their plans on hold to take on one extra mission. A mission to save their friend, even if it means changing his heart.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima
- Comments: This is a "Joker has a Palace" fic that shows a lot of promise. For one thing, it does an excellent job of detailing Joker's declining mental state and shows why he develops a Palace.
- Recommended by: ShoutmonZ
- Status: Dead; last updated September 2021
- Synopsis: Akechi has had enough. So, he...tries to be a better person. Can he mislead the Conspiracy, and prevent the Phantom Thieves from falling into the trap? He isn't sure, but this is his last chance to do something right for once, and he has no intention of wasting it. His mind is set. This is his resolve. Crow's wings of rebellion.
- Pairing(s): Goro Akechi/Fem!Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)
- Tags: Gender Flipped, What If?
- Comment: By far my favorite fic of Persona 5 ever and one of the few long fics with Fem!Akira. The writing itself might not be the best, especially compared with the other fics on the rec list, but considering it's not the author's first language, she writes pretty well, as far as I can tell the characters are pretty in character (with a majority of them not trusting Akechi, and Crow, at first in fact, especially in Makoto's case) and I just love Akechi's interactions with everyone in the Thieves, especially Akira and Futaba. His romance with Akira is very much a slow burn but with many sweet and wholesome moments while Futaba is similar, except more as siblings. And there are a few references to older Persona games, plenty funny and heartwarming moments and interesting surprises as Akechi slowly opens up to all the Thieves. Also, I really should mention that basically everyone ships Akechi and Akira once the Thieves find out he likes her.
A Year To Fill An Empty Home by Turandot (LostOzian)
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by euan112358
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Takeshi and Chou Kurusu aren't bad people. They never stopped loving their son, not for a single second.
- Comments: This is an Elsewhere Fic taking part entirely in Akira's home town, where a stoic electrician and his loving housewife have to find a way to get through a year without their son, unable to contact him at risk of putting him straight into juvenile hall and surrounded by rumors and whispers. Takeshi and Chou start off as a rather passive couple, but slowly learn to build up their strengths, learn new skills and even make Confidants of their own as they improve not only themselves, but the people around them. The reader can really see the mirror of growth between the parents and their son a city away, with many nods to the main plot. If you want a nice, cozy story where Joker's parents are actually Good Parents and not horrible, neglectful and/or abusive people, this fic is for you!
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock, Mitis
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Ren Amamiya has spent his whole life seeing people who no one else can and being called crazy. By the time he reaches Tokyo on probation, he swears to himself that he will never speak to someone who supposedly isn't there ever again. Easier said than done as several spirits come calling as he leads the Phantom Thieves.
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya/Makoto Nijima
- Comment: Trigger Warning: Abuse, Gaslighting, Suicide. Inspired by Ghost Whisperer, this fic is a Hurt/Comfort, pseudo-rewrite of the story that revolves around the addition that Ren can see & speak with ghosts. The orphaned kids reunited with their parents, Ryuji puns a lot, positive supports from the Thieves & Coffee Dad, a better, not rushed Spaceport of Greed Arc, a logical explanation for Shido's Palace, and a cathartic comeuppance for Akechi
- Has a sequel - We See Them (Ongoing)
- Has a sequel - We See Them
General Oneshots
Short, usually one chapter long fics focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.
Chewing Souls by setgo
Chewing Souls
by setgo- Recommended by: Scribe 22209, Mitis, BobtheBoldore
- Synopsis: "Ah, he's right! We probably should start at the beginning," The boy agrees, mercifully. He lifts one hand up in a semi-apologetic gesture, not breaking his smile, "My name is Ryoji Mochizuki - or Death! But I prefer Ryoji."
The girl rolls her eyes, "Marie - Izanami. Whatever."
Mochizuki and Marie stare expectantly as Maruki gapes open-mouthed at the two lackadaisical teenagers sitting across from him.
"Wait, are you…" Maruki pauses, "No...?"
Takuto Maruki faces divine retribution in the form of two teenagers. Ryoji Mochizuki and Marie have some words to share with the man who tried to rewrite reality. - Summary: A one-shot where Ryoji and Marie chew out Maruki for messing up the order of the universe with his actualization by professionally presenting the complaints from Persona's various divine entities.
Coffee and Conversations by AnimeBasketballer
- Recommended by: N8han11
- Tropes page here.
- Status: Complete
- Pairing(s): Implied Joker/Sumire Yoshizawa, implied Joker/Goro Akechi.
- Synopsis: Sumire attempts to befriend Akechi over a cup of coffee. Alternatively titled: Sumi and Akechi Bond Over Saying Fuck Maruki
- Comments: Set during the third semester in Royal; Sumire and Akechi bond over how Maruki's actions have screwed them both over in different ways, with Akechi in particular delivering scathing criticisms for Maruki's attempts to "help" Sumire and providing a You Are Better Than You Think You Are speech for Sumire.
For Want Of A Name by Writer_of_the_Dragons
- Recommended by: transparentanswer, Mitis
- Tropes page here.
- Status: Complete
- Pairing(s): None
- Synopsis: In one universe, it goes like this:
The flashing lights blind him, the cold metal of the cuffs on his wrists cut off his air, and the world becomes a distorted watercolor painting that he can only recall in flashes of emotion and sound.
In that universe, he goes to Tokyo knowing what happened but unable to recall the details of who until confronted with the offending party face to face after heartbreak and betrayal ravaged his world.
In this universe, it goes like this:
The cops come and the cuffs are cold as ice, but his eyes burn as he stares down the man about to ruin his life. He stares and stares with eyes everyone told him were too intense as he painstakingly committed the face to memory.
He refused to forget his face.
And a simple Google search later got him the rest.
In this universe, when he went to Tokyo, he was armed with a name. And that? Turned out to be the key to everything.
Or:
The Thieves take down Shido as their second palace instead of their last. This has consequences. Akechi shaped consequences. - Comments: A What If? one-shot where Ren remembers and managed to see Shido's face and the remembrance proves to have a long-running consequence against Akechi and potentially, of Yaldabaoth due to how early Shido gets taken out of the picture. A good story that gives a look to how things could change.
my senpai is unavailable right now but you’ll do nicely! by asketchygowo
- Recommended by: N8han11
- Status: Complete
- Pairing(s): Implied Goro Akechi/Sumire Yoshizawa
- Synopsis: Sumire asks the most emotionally stable person she knows for life advice. Or, well...
- Comments: Takes place during the third semester in Royal. When Sumire needs help moving forwards, she asks the ever-blunt Akechi for advice on how to fight as herself. Cue a training session in Mementos.
the secret of shujin academy's class 2-d by thunderstorm
- Recommended by: Shadeblade96
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Class 2-D of Shujin Academy had a secret, and it was all thanks to Kurusu. There was no secret prior to his transfer to the school in April; before then, the students were about as normal as they came (save for, perhaps, Takamaki, who stood out thanks to her ‘relationship’ with Kamoshida, and Mishima, who looked closer to bolting if anyone so much as looked at him the wrong way than anything). They gossiped together, complained about their classwork together, made fun of one another, and bemoaned their luck when they were the ones stuck with the delinquent transfer student together.
Kurusu seemed quiet, at least, his head always tilted down so the light reflected off his glasses and hid his eyes. When that didn’t work, he tugged at his unkempt hair, hiding his face from view so no one could quite get a good look at him. Save for the rumors that class 2-D helped spread about his criminal record—the most outrageous, so far, being that he went and stabbed a man for looking at him funny—everything continued almost normally.
Then, a few days into Kurusu’s year-long tenure at Shuji Academy, the class started hearing meowing coming from his direction. - Summary: A one-shot about Shujin's class 1-D and their growing acceptance that one of their classmates is sneaking a cat to school with him. Gives some character to Shujin's students beyond the gossip rumor-mill and even providing some rare camaraderie between them and Akira.
Sojiro gets a cat by proxy and learns to deal by thatoldeblackmagic
- Recommended by: shiftkeyk, BobtheBoldore
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: It's only a few days into his stay when the boy brings home a cat. or Sojiro isn't a cat person, but this one might be alright.
- Comments: A well-done, fluff-filled one-shot detailing the relationship between Sojiro and Morgana (and, by extension, Akira/MC), from Sojiro's perspective. Also includes terrible (by terrible I mean great) dead jokes.
Shipping Fics
Multi-chapter Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.
Akira Kurusu and the Starlight by achilleanvillain
Boys and Queens by vivvav
Akira Kurusu and the Starlight
by achilleanvillain- Recommended by: Queen-Roger
- Status: Swayof the Star is Complete, but series is Dead
- Synopsis: A collection of stories about the relationship between Akira Kurusu and Hifumi Togo. Hifumi gains a Persona and joins the Phantom Thieves, and the two join together - through the trials of the Metaverse, and the trials of reality as Akira tries to find a place in the world after the events of the game and Hifumi tries to re-enter the shogi scene.
- Pairing(s): Kurusu Akira/Togo Hifumi, Persona 5 Protagonist/Togo Hifumi
- Tags: Developing Relationship, will contain royal spoilers/third semester content eventually, Minor Character Death
- Comments:
Boys and Queens
by vivvav- Recommended by Neverwhere, Taxima, Unclouded TJ
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: After the events of Confidant Roulette Ryuji and Hifumi have been spending a suspiciously significant amount of time with each other. So much so that the tabloids are circulating rumors that the Phony Princess has a boyfriend.
- Pairing(s): Ryuji Sakamoto/Hifumi Togo, Akira Kurusu/Makoto Nijima
- Comments: One of the chapters in Confidant Roulette concentrated on the meeting between Ryuji and Hifumi, which was so well received that the author wrote a sequel. This is most likely the first Ryuji/Hifumi fic in existence, but the author writes those two with so much chemistry that you didn't realize you ship them until after reading this story.
- FFN link.
- Recommended by: Leliel, Wasuregusa, Neverwhere, MikeShogunLee, Mitis, Vellaen
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Niijima Makoto is tasked to take down the Phantom Thieves. Spoiler alert: She gets her heart stolen. — Police!Makoto. Akira x Makoto.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima; one-sided Goro Akechi/Makoto Niijima
- Comments: An AU story in which the Phantom Thieves have been at it for seven years, and now an adult Makoto has been assigned by her boss to the neverending case...while said boss is also their latest target. Hilarity Ensues, particularly given how Makoto is already crushing on Joker's civilian identity (he's Akira).
- Come for the hilarity, stay for the setting/character study. This fic nails down several of the Central Themes of the game and explores them through the perspective of Age Lifted cast in fascinating ways the original work didn't or just couldn't approach. The plot is fast-paced and uncluttered, it'd be a disservice to describe the dialogue as merely clever and engaging, and the character interactions between Makoto and Akira, and Makoto and Joker (entirely different creatures despite being the same two people, trust me on that) will get both your inner shipper and non-shipper demanding for more at the end of every flipping chapter.
- This is pretty much THE Protagonist/Makoto fanfic; If you ship those two, then odds are you're going to stumble across this fic at some point if you haven't already. The author does a really good job of Show, Don't Tell and there's a lot of meaning packed into the writing. For example, Makoto subconsciously figures out that Akira and Joker are one in the same, but she willingly convinces herself otherwise because she desperately doesn't want that to be true. Nearly all of that is inferred through the text.
- Seriously just read it, if you don't like it blame me (MikeShogunLee), but odds are if you even remotely like Makoto + Joker, you will love this fic.
Crooked Hands by coolkidroland
- Recommended by: Oxxi
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: In which Akira absolutely does not learn to leave well enough alone. (alternate title: A Fork in Want of a Light Socket)
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Goro Akechi
The Delinquent and His Lover, and its continuation
- Trope page here
- Recommended by: Clato Lawa
- Status: Dead Fic, but has since been resuscitated and Completed.
- Pairing: Akira Kurusu/Makoto Niijima
- Synopsis: Makoto never thought her first relationship would begin with a broken nose and a trip to the ER, but when she mistakes the new transfer student as a stalker, things take a turn for the worse. To get her actual stalker off her back, she convinces Akira to be her fake boyfriend. What was supposed to be a one time thing eventually turns into more when her friend, Eiko, gets involved with him. Their differences will either bring them closer together or tear them apart as Makoto's naivety threatens to put her in danger in an unfamiliar world.
- Note: What we have here is a great but sadly Dead Fic from an Orphan Account, which was eventually resurrected by another author. The story is also an AU with no Metaverse, Shadows or Personas, though a cat called Morgana is present.
- Pairing(s): Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren (Persona 5 Protagonist)
- Recommended by transparentanswer
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Ren has never been so relieved to see a disgruntled expression in his life. His features are all the same as Ren remembers, nothing monstrous or out of place, just pure Akechi Goro—part annoyed and part irate.
Akechi’s eyes widen. They glow almost red in the sunlight. For a second, he looks genuinely, unobstructedly surprised.
“Amamiya,” Akechi says, and his voice is the best thing Ren has heard in months. “What are you doing here?”
*
One year after the collapse of Maruki’s reality, Ren starts meeting a dead boy in his dreams. - Tags: Explicit, body horror, angst with a happy ending
- Comments: A post Persona 5 Royal story that is a character study for Ren (Joker's name in this story) and how he fares with the aftermath of Persona 5 Royal, which deals a tale of Ren learning things about himself and how he was able to move forward from it. Akechi's presence in the dreams he start to have grew to be Ren's solace for a while and how this is revealed to be possible because Akechi's soul ended up in Ren's dream Palace formed from the unadressed trauma he is suffering from his year in Tokyo and all the issues it caused. A wonderful read and character study, but be warned that there are several explicit scenes in parts of the story and contains a good deal of horror elements as part of it's exploration of Ren's character study.
- Pairing(s): Kurusu Akira (Persona 5 Protagonist)/Akechi Goro
- Recommended by transparentanswer
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: “One heart is not connected to another through harmony alone. They are, instead, linked deeply through their wounds. Pain linked to pain, fragility to fragility. There is no silence without a cry of grief, no forgiveness without bloodshed, no acceptance without a passage through acute loss. That is what lies at the root of true harmony.”
― Haruki Murakami, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage - Tags: Bittersweet Ending
- Comments: A Post Persona 5 Royal story where Akira isn't coping with the aftermath of the true ending of the third semester as well as he would have liked due to still grieving from Akechi's apparent death on top of the Trauma Conga Line he suffered over the course of the game. And how Akechi, who is alive and had time to recover from his past, now had to help Akira pick up the broken pieces of his own self. Symbolically both Akira and Akechi now switched places mentally with Joker now believing that he is left behind by his fellow thieves and stuck in the past that he also lost the ability to communicate with Morgana, while Akechi now is working for a future and the one at the moment who knew Akira enough to help him build himself up again. A wonderful story telling about the journey to fight against your own demons, and how even though things don't get better right away, there's some hope that you will eventually recover from it. Be warned that there are scenes where Akira attempts suicide multiple times in the first chapter.
- Recommended by Oxxi
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Goro Akechi struggles to deal with his change of heart. So does everyone else.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Goro Akechi
- Trope page here
- Recommended by: Shadeblade96, Vellaen
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Yet another novelization of P5 - AU/HeadCanon in which the protagonist was a high school level boxer and son of a loving family before sticking his nose in where it didn't belong. Expect canon-divergence, and convenient changes to battle sequences for flair/author sanity.
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Ann Takamaki, Ryuji Sakamoto/Makoto Niijima, other background relationships
- Comments: The concept of Ren having a background in boxing isn't just a unique idea, it's used as a gateway to explore his home life before the PT's in-depth. The boxing stuff being well-researched helps. Story-wise, everything gets fleshed-out in outstanding quality, from the characters to the plot, and the story itself makes enough twists on the canon to keep you invested. The relationship between Ren and Ann is by far one of its strongest points and provides a foundation for some amazing character work. Absolutely a must-read.
- Has a series of ongoing epilogue fics that center on the character and boxing aspects of the story.
- Has a series
- Recommended by Mister Dr Bob 2
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Makoto and Ren need to infiltrate a real-world gala for their next heist. Neither is sure quite how to act around the other. Will they be ready in time?
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist/Makoto Niijima
- Comments: A great fic that sees Ren and Makoto on an undercover mission for the less than reputable Kirijo Group. If they're going to succeed, they're going to need to figure out what their deal is.
Lotus, Violet, and Cherry Blossoms by Deathmanstratos
- FFN link
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: AussieRanga
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Ren Amamiya and Kasumi Yoshizawa confess before Ren enters Sae's Palace. Their relationship blossoms, only for the revelation in Maruki's Palace on January 2nd to complicate things. Ren and Sumire have to discover if their feelings will remain the same, and where those feelings will take them in the future.
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Kasumi Yoshizawa (Sumire Yoshizawa)
- Comments: WARNING: HEAVY PERSONA 5 ROYAL SPOILERS AHEAD! This fic takes the premise of what if Ren was able to romance Kasumi before the events of January 2nd. This fic goes into the mental states of both Ren and Sumire as they both come to terms with what happens next. This fic contains some seriously well written fluff and the way the relationship between Ren and Sumire is developed is excellent. Definitely worth your time if you are craving a good Shusumi fic.
- Has a sequel - Flourishing Cherry Blossoms (Ongoing)
- Has a sequel - Flourishing Cherry Blossoms
Love and Justice Share a Blindfold bymagumarashi
- Recommended by Boyd the Reaver
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Japan's foremost prodigy detective, Goro Akechi, has been brought to France to investigate a series of unusual—unsolvable—heists. While there, he crosses paths with Akira Kurusu, a young Japanese student who is pursuing art history at a prestigious Paris university. These two, who seem almost fated to meet, somehow become close friends... very close friends.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Goro Akechi
- Comments: A brilliantly-executed, sensual and just incredibly well-done Phantom Thief AU that really thinks through with the question of what-if Akira was a genuine Gentleman Thief who goes after priceless art, while Goro is actually a good person and a genuine Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist to boot? The result is quite possibly one of my favorite fanfics in a long-time. The writing's brilliant, the mood is wonderfully-executed, and though I'm hardly a yaoi fan, the chemistry and quality-of-writing between Akechi and Akira are just beautifully-executed. It legit felt like I was reading a pulp fiction novel, and I highly recommend it to anybody who just likes good fanfiction in general. NSFW warning though: there are three chapters where explicit sex happens, but it's quite obvious when those chapters appear and you can skip them. Still, not something you should be reading in a SFW environment. Still a great fanfic, though.
Futaba and Yusuke Make a Doujinshi byOpheliaDusk
- Recommended by Kryptocow
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Post-main game, Futaba convinces Yusuke to make a comic with her. Supposedly it's to make some money, but it might have something to do with her fears of her friends drifting apart after the disbanding of the Thieves. Shenannigans and feelings ensue—especially after they realize the best subject for their comic is a couple of their fellow Phantom Thieves.
- Pairing(s): Yusuke Kitagawa/Futaba Sakura, Ryuji Sakamoto/Akira Kurusu
- Comments: I spent a good deal of time cracking up while reading this, but it also made me tear up. Does a great job hitting the balance of how fun these two are on the surface with their bantering, but also how suited they are beneath that to understand each others' trauma. It's funny, but not crack. Plus, the gang's all here and the author does such a fun job with everyone's dialogue.
- Recommended by: Industrious Hart
- Trope page here.
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Makoto is an elegant, refined young lady with purely logical reasons for her actions that don't involve personal desires for love or justice. An in-game Makoto POV shipfic focusing on her relationship with the protagonist and her early discovery of a certain palace.
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist; formerly Akira Kurusu)/Makoto Niijima, Ryuji Sakamoto/Ann Takamaki
- Comments: This story is something set along the in-game canon universe and uses much of the dialogue featured in the game. The narrative is strictly from Makoto's point of view using the third person perspective and as such, it is not a strict retelling of the Phantom Thieves' story. In addition, the POV makes for some interesting reading interpretations to the reader as you will notice when things fly straight over Makoto's head. This is a wonderfully written shipping fic that manages to weave original cute, believable and realistic story and character interactions into the original Phantom Thief story. While the focus is primarily on Ren and Makoto, all of the other Phantom Thieves receive a decent amount of character exposure as well. The excitement that comes with young love is very meticulously thought out and built up throughout the story. Highly recommended if you are thirsting for a slow burn Ren x Makoto fic that has on-point character.
- Recommended by solfieri
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Memories are the haze over hot pavement, the mirages of the heart.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Yusuke Kitagawa
- Comments: This author is, in this troper's opinion, the best Shukita writer out there. Every one of her fics, even the most explicit, are first and foremost deep character studies, focusing either on Akira, Yusuke or both, wrapped up in a lovely Shukita bow that can be romantic or melancholy or super sexy depending on the fic. The one recommended here is a wonderfully understated portrait of Yusuke's psyche that explores his relationships with his art, his former mentor, and his friend.
Moments with her trickster by Mobili
- Recommended by Bathrobe
- Status: Dead; last updated June 2020
- Synopsis: Moments revolving around Akira x Lavenza.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Lavenza
Object Permanence by ScalaSpiral
- Recommended by: solfieri
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: It's the summer after her stint as a Phantom Thief, and Futaba has been spending way too much time with her favorite local art weirdo. That's the best explanation she can think of for why she's started finding it cute when he rambles about art and soothing when she watches him sketch. Having actual feelings for him would be distracting and inconvenient, so she won't do that. That's how it works… right?
- Pairing(s): Yusuke Kitagawa/Futaba Sakura, Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima
- Comments: This story sold this troper on Yutaba. It follows Futaba's POV as her relationship with Inari deepens, and does a great job expressing the ups and downs of a crush through the eyes of an inexperienced, anxious, socially awkward nerdy girl. The prose is lively and expressive, the dialogue is witty (especially between Futaba and Ren) and the characterization is perfect. It's also totally hilarious at times and, above all, overwhelmingly sweet and wholesome. A must-read for fans of the pairing.
On A Reflective Surface by aquietdin
- Recommended by chloe_price, solfieri
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: "I feel like I know you," he admitted. Akira felt his face flush with heat. Yusuke only blinked at him, then ducked his head, a faint pink on his pale cheekbones. "I was wondering if I was the only one," he said quietly. "Have we met before?"
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Yusuke Kitagawa
- Comments: This troper cried when reading this fic. It's amazingly written and full of little details which touched my heartstrings. The development of Yusuke's and Akira's relationship remains realistic up till the end. An absolute must-read for all Akira/Yusuke shippers.
A Palace Without the Metaverse by winternightlullaby
- Recommended by Shadeblade96
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A phone call from his estranged parents sends Akira reeling from past emotional turmoil. He just wanted to move on and live his life in Tokyo where he belonged with the one he loved, but the neglect and anger during the false allegations won’t give him any peace. Their unwanted visit to Tokyo is only agreed upon if Akira can bring someone with him to see them. And who better than his dear Futaba?
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Futaba Sakura
- Comments: A short but sweet epilogue fic dealing with the aftermath of Akira's return home. Akira's family problems are believable and in-character while the drama is never overwhelming thanks to Futaba's presence, the beautiful gremlin she is. And the fluff between the two is utterly adorable.
Phantom Stardust by TheWabbajackX, also on AO3
- Recommended by: Ford1114, 9thOutworldsMan
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Akira Kurusu. Ann Takamaki. Two young high school students turned daring Phantom Thieves, stealing the malice out of the hearts of the corrupt to protect the innocent. The Joker and the Panther fight onward against darkness, their friendship and camaraderie leading them to adventure, danger, and something intimate only they share. [Language/lewd content.]
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Ann Takamaki.
- Comments: A well-thought story that handled Akira and Ann positively. While it retells the canon storyline, the focus on it is downplayed and concentrates more on the relationship between the two lovers. Hence, the Lovers Arcana has a new meaning to it.
- Recommended by: MikeShogunLee, 9thOutworldsMan
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: "As the Phantom Thieves prepare to take down Shido, Akira and Sae discover neither is who they thought they were. Romance blooms as Christmas Eve draws ever closer. Now with new epilogue."
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Sae Niijima
- Comments:
- MikeShogunLee: A beautiful story that will hit you in the feels, then hug you when you cry and tell you; "Shhh, we are just getting started, get ready because you will be here again in half a chapter." The romance of Sae and Akira is handled beautifully, and all happens in the game's timeline. Barely anything is changed, besides some character details here and there, a quick example is that Akira is a Christian, but the fiction stays completely loyal to the events in the game... With all the drama, and heartbreak that entails.
A Study in Silver by Insomnomaniac
- Recommended by: Mr-Rogers
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Ryuji's never been too interested in the ocean. Sure, Ann found it fascinating and wouldn't shut up about all the cool stuff down there, but Ryuji just never saw the appeal. Until, that is, the conservatory rescues a creature with the lower body of a fish and the upper body of the most gorgeous guy he's ever seen. That, he was interested in.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Ryuji Sakamoto
- Comments: A really sweet fanfiction with a fun premise. It really sold me on Akiryu and was the first fanfic that got me invested in the fandom as a whole.
Theft of a Thief by FortunesRevolver
- Recommended by Aruu
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: When Yusuke inadvertently steals Akira's heart, Akira decides the only course of action is to steal his in return.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Yusuke Kitagawa
- Comments: A beautiful one-shot that focuses on Akira and Yusuke, and their relationship with one another. Wonderfully written with excellent characterisation, this fic could easily be a part of the canon game. Akira's resolve to steal Yusuke's heart given that he stole his own is an adorable idea, and the author plays it off amazingly well. Highly recommended.
The Thief of Light, The Maid of Shadows by Lonely_Support.
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: Somebodylost
- Status: Dead; last updated November 2021
- Synopsis: Sadayo Kawakami wanted nothing to do with Akira Kurusu, her new transfer student. He was a problem child with a criminal record and she simply wished he was taken out of her hands. She had no idea how much her life would change after an accidental encounter with him during her night job, or how important a person he would become in her life, just like she would his.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Sadayo Kawakami
- Comments: This fic captured everything why this troper loved Sadayo beyond the maid and teacher fetish that most of the fandom look down on. The fic shines during times when the author puts unexpected spins in Sadayo's confidant route, exploring character interactions of both Sadayo and Akira that the game and anime wouldn't/couldn't do. In fact, once you compare this to the route in canon, you'll be sad that the fic isn't canon.
Wax Nostalgic by shatteredcrystalwings
- Recommended by solfieri
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Akira is talked into joining Ryuji to a tattoo parlor as moral support and finds he's more interested in the artist than the art.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Yusuke Kitagawa
- Comments: A delightful slice-of-life AU wherein the Phantom Thieves are ordinary college-age friends, Akira manages Leblanc and Yusuke (and, surprisingly, Haru!) works at a tattoo parlor. The focus is on Akira and Yusuke getting to know each other, but every character is well written, faithful to canon and fun to read, with little nods to the original game throughout. All in all, heartwarming fluff with some light angst.
What Excuses We Make by Silvermane177
- Recommended by: DefinitelyNotSlyCooper
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: "Follow my lead?" "We'll see." After a tragic event, Diet Representative Kurusu approaches Police Captain Niijima for a favor. But with this new reunion, will old feelings surface? Set nearly 10 years post-canon.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima
- Tags: Romance/Mystery
- Review:
- DefinitelyNotSlyCooper: A really good 9 Chapter story, nothing epic, but certainly long enough to fill your literary craving. With the conflict serving more as a catalyst then a driving force, this story serves as a nice romance that focuses on the trials of our All-Grown-Up heroes handling the trials of dating in the adult world. While still hanging onto the fun of a standard murder mystery. Highly recommended for any Ma Kira(Makoto x Akira) fans.
The Wings of Life by ZeromusTrueSelf
- Recommend by: TheG
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Doesn't matter if you call them Ren Amamiya and Makoto Niijima or Joker and Queen, doesn't change the fact that at the end of the day, they're just two overworked teens with problems, issues, stress, and most importantly, hormones, lots and lots of hormones.
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima
- Comments: A fun little series of stand-alone oneshots detailing the oddities and liveliness of Ren and Makoto's relationship, like; Makoto trying to get Ren to fix his hair, their differing taste in music, Sae's view of their relationship, roleplaying in the bedroom, and my personal fav so far; Makoto not wanting their baby to play with her old Buchimaru-kun toys in case they get damaged.
You Can Maybe Touch The Artwork by watercolorwoman
- Recommended by Bassikun
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: What if Akira was busy the night Futaba wanted to go to Akihabara on August 31st? What if Yusuke took his place throughout the entirety of the social link? It was simple, really. Yusuke would help Futaba with her promise list, while she helps Yusuke with his some of his art block. Well, what happens when the team's resident artist develops his feelings early on?
- Pairing(s): Yusuke Kitagawa/Futaba Sakura
- Comments: Basically Futaba's Social Link but with Yusuke instead. Does a good job portraying both of them, especially when it comes to adapting Yusuke to Futaba's situation, and expanding their relationship. Totally worth reading if you are fan of this pairing.
you've got me seeing through different eyes by futuresoon
- Recommended by Oceanstuck
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: "I wonder," Akechi says, conversationally, "if I'm even capable of saying no to you, now."
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Goro Akechi
- Tags: Psychological Horror, Angst, Bad Ending
- Comments: I'm not sure if this is the right folder since while the ship is central to the fic, the fic is less about the developing of the relationship and more about using a warped version of the ship to unsettle. Be warned if you haven't finished Royal, though, as the whole thing is a massive spoiler. Set after Akira accepts the false reality, this fic is a truly thoughtful and disturbing piece with a masterful build of tension, that drives home the fear of Loss of Identity and the cracks in Maruki's vision of the world. Worth a read if you like having your stomach turn.
Shipping Oneshots
Short, usually one chapter long fics focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.
dulcet slumber by trainerlyra
dulcet slumber
by trainerlyra- Recommended by: N8han11
- Status: Complete
- Pairing(s): Goro Akechi/Sumire Yoshizawa, Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Futaba Sakura, one-sided Sumire Yoshizawa/Ren Amamiya
- Synopsis: In the days in between infiltrating the final Palace and stealing his heart, Sumire Yoshizawa tries to connect with Goro Akechi.
- Comments: A bittersweet one-shot where Sumire tries to get a distant Akechi to open up to her during the third semester of Royal. As Akechi defrosts, the two discuss things like the effects of Maruki's reality and Akechi's ultimate fate once it's reverted, but it's unfortunately not to last. Has a sequel in a heart will always go one step too far.
- Recommended by Kryptocow
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Futaba attempts to level herself up during a trip to the supermarket with her boyfriend, and together they learn when compromise can be worth it. Early-relationship Yutaba.
- Pairing(s): Yusuke Kitagawa/Futaba Sakura
- Comments: This little fic shows just how well Yusuke and Futaba complement each other and help each other to grow. Since it's from Futaba's POV (which the author does a delightful job describing), it's mainly focused on how Yusuke just being Yusuke helps calm Futaba's anxieties.
a heart will always go one step too far by trainerlyra
- Recommended by: N8han11
- Status: Complete
- Pairing(s): Goro Akechi/Sumire Yoshizawa
- Synopsis: Sumire and Akechi meet again, unexpectedly.
- Comments: A few months after the events of dulcet slumber, Akechi is revealed to have survived his apparent demise, much to his and Sumire's surprise. Cue a surprisingly sweet, heartwarming reunion.
Punching in a Dream by OpheliaDusk
- Recommended by: DigiXBot
- Status: Complete
- Pairing(s): Ryuji Sakamoto/Haru Okumura
- Synopsis: Ryuji isn't sure whether Haru's looking for a companion, a date, or a bodyguard, but whichever it is, no way he's turning her down.
- Comments: A rather adorable one-shot about a Persona 5 rarepair, starting with Ryuji and Haru beginning a friendship following the disappearance of Mementos and Akira's arrest, then leading to the two growing closer as Haru asks Ryuji to accompany her to a social gathering. This leads up to a rather momentous event that I rather not spoil, though I can assure you there is a sweet and realistic development in their relationship from friendship to romance.
Sanctuary by NeonCigarretesAtTheBeach
- Recommended by: N8han11
- Status: Complete
- Pairing(s): Goro Akechi/Sumire Yoshizawa
- Synopsis: "And that's the moment Goro knows, the moment he finally realizes it. He doesn't simply like her, but he's completely and utterly in love with Sumire Yoshizawa." After defeating Maruki, Goro and Sumire team up in order to help each other grow and be better, but end up finding each other in the process. Or, Akechi Goro learns how to love.
Alternate Universe Fics
Stories where one fundamental aspect of the series is completely overhauled from its point of origin.
Astrolocked by Hawkfire
The Butterfly Effect can take over from there.
Astrolocked
by Hawkfire- Status: Complete
- Pairing(s): Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto
- Recommended by: transparentanswer
- Sypnosis: Morgana is just a little too quick on his feet, Sae gambles with things she really shouldn't, Akechi discovers to his immense horror he has feelings, Ren orchestrates crime (again), and Haru destroys an awful lot of robots.
Or, Haru and Sae get trapped in Okumura's Palace with no Personas, no clue what's happening, and very little hope. Things escalate from there. - Comments: A dramedy featuring the unlikely duo of Haru and Sae teaming up to survive as a Badass Normal against the supernaturally cognitive shadows till they awaken to their Persona's due to Morgana escaping a little early after his failed solo infiltraiton of Okumura Kunikazu's palace, with the thieves and Akechi dealing with the fall out of the two being MIA. A great read that doubles as a study of the characters involved.
A Tale of Two Tricksters by Zoe2k8
- Tropes page here.
- Status: Ongoing
- Pairing(s): Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren
- Recommended by: transparentanswer
- Synopsis: Why have one champion when you can have them both? A bet between gods that decides humanity's fate. Yaldy knows that the outcome is certain, now with both tricksters under his grasp. Yet Humanity's sponsor is confident. The ‘god’ of the velvet room does not sway. It’s incomprehensible.
Everything is going according to plan.
Isn’t it?
Akechi is certain that these upstart Phantom thieves' rumors are of far greater consequence. He realizes this when the castle that once loomed over Shujin Academy was gone post-Kamoshida’s confession. Gone yet replaced, by something larger. Darker. He is certain it holds the final piece he needs for his plans. All he has to do is recruit one lonely boy over to his side.
One misunderstanding later and Ren finds himself isolated at school. Burdened by the rumors of his own past-and-present actions. He takes the hand of someone unexpected.
-
Akechi and Ren team up against the PT’s and Shido. - Comments: A story based on the concept of "Accomplice ending" ala Persona 4 Golden's own where Joker teams up with Akechi instead. Instead of being the leader of the Phantom Thieves, Yaldabaoth made a move early to ensure the oblivion and destruction of humanity and arranged the events so that Amamiya Ren doesn't awaken right as soon as he arrived in Tokyo, changing Ren from Phantom Thief to a potential Palace Target that Akechi saved when the thieves failed. The canonical Phantom thief members get an Adaptational Jerkass treatment that can be mistaken as character bashing but this doesn't last long as the jerkassery is based on the thieves not having the chance to get to know Ren as a person until it's too late and explore on their flaws before they get their Character Development, with said Jerkassery causing Ren to join Akechi's cause instead. A wonderful read if you're looking for a story where Joker develops to be a Villain Protagonist of his own right.
Dragon's Duet series by Azure_Aeraki and Onvols
- Tropes page here.
- Pairings: Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Sumire, Sakamoto Ryuji/Yoshizawa Kasumi
- Status: Ongoing
- Recommended by: transparentanswer
- Synopsis: On the Thirteenth of March, 2016, a Tragedy is set to occur. The Trickster, who in the next year will defy fate like it’s their day job, is nowhere to be found for now - still dealing with the fallout of their supposed crime.
But what if someone else was there to prevent it?
The Butterfly Effect can take over from there.
- Comments: A What If? story where Ryuji happens to bump into the Yoshizawa twins on March 13 and accidentally saved Kasumi from death, along with the butterfly effect that follows with Kasumi's survival. Kasumi is well-characterized and the authors properly show the build up that the changes had caused.
It's Just a Light Rain (But the Storm is still Comin') by Westward
- Tropes page here.
- Status: Ongoing
- Recommended by: transparentanswer
- Synopsis: Even the simplest of actions can challenge fate. As it so happens, the 11th of April was supposed to be a fateful one. But as Akira prepares for his first day at Shujin Academy, he notices the dark clouds hanging above Leblanc, and decides to take his umbrella. And while he arrives at Shujin a little rained on, he manages to arrive on time.
Two weeks later, a strange group calling themselves the Phantom Thieves steal their first heart.
—
Or, the one where Akira becomes the Phantom Thieves’ target instead of their leader. - Comments: A sombre What If? story where Akira completely Missed the Call where he brought an umbrella and didn't stay to enter the Metaverse the first time since his arrival in Tokyo, leading to a butterfly effect, added to Yaldabaoth's manipulation isolating him from the thieves that he'd befriend in the actual game and formed a Palace that the thieves had to investigate. Initially thinking that Akira is a villain and criminal as his records say due to a misunderstanding, the thieves are forced to face that Akira's situation is not as it seems and come face to face with the consequences of how long running misunderstandings and uncleared rumors can hurt, and how they grow to be better and mend the relationship that they had unknowingly burned.
Like Beating a Dead Lobster by txbris''.
- Recommended By: MrPerson2006
- Status: Completed
- Synopsis: The Shadow reared back in pain as it collapsed in on itself, allowing Haru to quickly slip off its back, summon Hua Po, and dash back to where Goro and Sumi were poised for battle. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the Shadow melted back into the floor in a shower of sparks and left only its true demonic form in its wake.
Haru blinked.
"It's... a lobster?" - Part of a much larger, work in progress Role Swap AU called If You Regret, Reset the Game, this documents an encounter with Dead Lobster from Megami Tensei II that Haru (in the place of the protagonist), Sumire (in the place of Ryuji) and Akechi (in the place of Morgana) have in Madarame's Palace, which is the first palace instead of the second.
- Status: Complete
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu/Sumire Yoshizawa
- Recommended by: Lucky Flanker 13, Clato Lawa
- Synopsis:
- An appointment is made. An appointment is missed. A girl attends Shujin Academy, grieving and broken and alone. Akira Kurusu has a talent for helping lost causes find their footing, but even the leader of the Phantom Thieves has his work cut out for him this time. How do you help someone who doesn't think they're worth helping?
- Comments: Easily my favorite Sumire-centered fic I have read in a long time. It's a heartwarming character study into who our favorite red-haired gymnast is as a person, set in a universe where she never met the final antagonist of Persona 5: Royal.
- Now has a one-shot epilogue, Brave Step, in which Akira meets Sumire's mother.
- Both stories now have a trope page, under Masquerade (Vellaen).
One Year on Probation by FlOrangey
- Trope page here.
- Status: Dead (last updated June 2020)
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima, Ann Takamaki/Shiho Suzui
- Synopsis: A retelling of Persona 5 but with none of the supernatural elements. There are no palaces, no changing hearts, no Persona, and while there are cats, they don't talk. How is Akira going to survive a year in a school that has no qualms about making it clear he's not welcome? Is he going to survive at all? If he wants to even hope for a future, he'll have to try.
Please Don't Take My Sunshine Away by ez_cookie
- Recommended by: transparentanswer
- Status: Complete
- Pairing(s): Kurusu Akira (P5 Protagonist)/Akechi Goro
- Synopsis: Goro's mother is alive, but only in the physical sense. Shortly after her child's seventh birthday, she was kidnapped and held as Shido's prisoner with a few other women, dreaming of the day when she could break free and stitch her little family back together. But, when she finally gets out, what awaits her in an even greater despair –– her son, Goro, is nowhere to be found.
- Comments: From the author of Daredevil, You've Hit the Wall, this is a story where Akechi Goro's mother is alive, but held captive in a Gilded Cage by Shido for years and was only recently freed shortly after the events of the Third Semester from Royal. The story serves as a look into Akechi Goro's mother and of her relationship with her son. Though Kurusu Akira/Akechi Goro is tagged, the relationship takes a backseat to focus on Akechi Goro's mother and her relationship with her son who turned out to be alive, and how she reacts to a changed world after being caged by Shido for a decade.
Royal Blossoms by DefinitelyNotLuna
- Trope page here
- Recommended by: Shadeblade96, Mitis, N8han11
- Status: Dead (last updated April 2021)
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Sumire Yoshizawa
- Synopsis: Akira Kurusu moves to Tokyo in early March under new circumstances. But as he bears witness to a shocking accident, his fate is set upon the path of ruin: one that he can only avoid with faith in his trusty confidants and his own brand of justice. A retelling of Persona 5 Royal with an expanded focus on Kasumi, Sumire, and Akechi. Beware of spoilers!
- Tags: Alternate Universe
- Comments: This is an amazing 'for want of a nail' concept that deserves all the attention it can get. The story goes for a slow buildup that's already got interesting implications for later events, much of which owing to both the circumstances of Akira arriving in Tokyo one month earlier and the changes to character dynamics that result from it. Keep an eye on this one.
Shards of me, too sharp to put back together by HorribleHag
- Recommended by: N8han11
- Status: Ongoing
- Pairing(s): Goro Akechi/Sumire Yoshizawa, Goro Akechi/Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist), eventual Royal Trio
- Synopsis: One unexpected death derails all of Akechi's plans, forcing him to search for a purpose for the wreckage he made of his life. Or "The fic in which Shido dies at the beginning of the year."
- Comments: After Joker's run-in with Shido accidentally ends with the latter's death, Akechi has to find a new purpose. Along the way, Akechi befriends both the prison-bound Joker and a grieving Sumire in a way that examines the Royal Trio's dynamics in a fresh new light, and puts more focus on Sumire's personal issues that were glossed over in the game.
This is Our Justice by Apex Primus
- Trope page here
- Recommended by Clato Lawa
- Status: Ongoing
- Pairings: Ren Amamiya/Makoto Niijima, Sae Niijima/Tae Takemi
- Synopsis: Niijima Sae risked everything by presenting cognitive psience as proof that the mental shutdowns and psychotic breakdowns were connected. Tragically, her gamble was for naught and she was dismissed, only to awaken in a velvet prison and be granted the power of the Wild Card. Now, she must forge bonds with those that the system has failed and confront her own failings as she changes the hearts of the wicked.
- AU in which the Phantom Thieves are formed by Sae, Sadayo, Morgana and Sojiro, later joined by Tae, Hifumi and Iwai.
To Know Your Target by KivaEmber and pana (panaceaa)
- Recommended by AyaSai
- Status: Dead; last updated August 2021
- Pairings: Goro Akechi/Akira Kurusu
- Synopsis: "Love is knowing your target, putting them in your targeting reticule, and together, achieving a singular purpose against statistically long odds."; In which Goro Akechi joins the team during Kaneshiro's palace arc instead of Makoto.
The True Duet (FFN Link) by asdf1asdf1
- Recommended by: N8han11, Mitis
- Status: Ongoing
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Sumire Yoshizawa, Goro Akechi/Kasumi Yoshizawa
- Synopsis: With the help of a taunting voice, Kasumi stops her younger sister Sumire from running into traffic, changing the course of their lives. Now both sisters must face their first year of high school together at Shujin academy. Feeling stunted in Kasumi's shadow, Sumire insists on doing this separately. Follow the girls as they change fate once more.
Peggy Sue/New Game Plus Fics
For stories about characters being sent back in time.
Breaking the Rigged game by Lord_Tenebros
Breaking the Rigged game
by Lord_Tenebros- Recommended by: transparentanswer, Mitis
- Status: Completed
- Synopsis: Akechi had had every intention of shooting Ren in the interrogation room and claiming victory over his rival after setting him up for capture at Sae's palace. It was supposed to be so simple - he would go in, shoot Ren in the head, arrange the scene to make it a suicide, and then leave to carry out the next parts of his plans. But Ren, who's looking far too calm and collected for someone seconds away from death, invites him for one last conversation at the table. As a last gesture of respect, Goro agrees to this request...starting off a chain of events that completely derails the rigged and twisted game that a megalomaniac dictator and god have tried to trap them in.
And all the while, Goro cannot figure out the enigma that is Ren Amamiya, and how he knows far more than what should be possible... - Pairing(s): None
- Tags: Alternate Universe Fic
- Comments: A New Game Plus time travel story that is majorly centered around Akechi's Point of View about a time traveling Joker. The author writes Akechi well and on point. The story features Dramedy that starts at the darkest points of Persona 5 end game which gets offset by Joker being hilariously powerful due to being on a New Game Plus. Overall worth a read with great characterizations of the Persona 5 characters.
Faith for the second run by senblades
- Recommended by: Halogen
- Status: Ongoing
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Goro Akechi
- Synopsis: After Ren makes the wrong decision at the end of the world, Sumire Yoshizawa is thrown a year into the past, with the vague goal of making things right. This would, of course, be a significantly easier task if she had any idea what she’s supposed to do.
- Comments: This fic is interesting as Sumire, Ren, and Akechi act as tritagonists and the story is told from their alternating perspectives, though only Sumire retains her memories of the future. I found it refreshing that Sumire remembers everything that happened, but was Locked Out of the Loop for most of it, resulting in a lot of dramatic irony as she is forced to try changing events based on an incomplete picture of the future. Overall, I found the dynamics between the characters to be one of the most engaging parts of the story, with some very interesting combinations and interactions coming out of the altered timeline.
Life Will Change by Akane Minori
- Recommended by: AegisCamera, Mitis, Vellaen
- Status: Dead; last updated January 2021
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Kasumi Yoshizawa (Sumire), Ann Takamaki/Shiho Suzui, Ryuji Sakamoto/Makoto Niijima
- Synopsis: "Welcome to my Velvet Room." Words he never wanted to hear again. Especially not in that voice. Armed with memories of a distant future, Akira's out to leave the world better than he left it. And this time, a certain Kouhai's here to help! (New Game Plus fic) Akira x Kasumi, Royal-centric!
- Comments: A New Game+ fic (in which the main story was completed but Royal's third semester wasn't unlocked), with Kasumi somehow retaining her memories and Persona from the "past" year. There's a lot this fic does right, the best example being Akira's characterization. His experience proves both a blessing and a burden, as he can navigate Tokyo and Palaces with much greater ease, but is tortured by the difficult moral position his future knowledge places him in. The mood is a solid balance of humor (a lot of which is self-aware), teenage angst, and tender wholesomeness, all of which come through in the delightful slow-burn between Akira and Kasumi (seriously you two, just kiss already). Spoiler-heavy by nature, but a great read and one of the best takes on a New Game+ fic.
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: YoKaiShoubiao
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Akechi meets a mysterious being chained to a door after death and gains a second chance.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Goro Akechi
- Comment: A masterfully written longfic where a much more mature and clever Akechi gets sent back in time to just before he makes his first deal with Shido, and decides to try and right some wrongs this time around. The writing is top notch, with deep characterizations and minimal spelling and grammar mistakes. The story is OC-Heavy (mostly to fill out spots for Akechi's Confidants), but they are all well-written and become integral parts of the world Akechi builds around himself. And the Canon characters that have appeared in the story are written just as well. Although everything is slow-burn, I highly recommend that you give this fic a read.
Oh Alice, There's no Reflection in the Looking Glass byintothefrisson
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: OpKingDimond, Mitis
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: What do you mean?” Ryuji tilted his head.
“It’s called Just Die. It reduces the SP needed for Insta kill skills like Mudoon or 'Please Die for Me' to zero.”
Ryuji and Ann blinked and blinked again trying to figure out what Morgana is trying to say. He watched as the gears churn in their head and they come to an epiphany, their faces growing horrified at the implications.
“Wait, you are saying. Joker can insta-kill literally everything in this palace. WITHOUT using SP at all?!” Ryuji clarified in astonishment because there is no way there isn’t a catch to this. “Without repercussion?!”
“Yes. That is exactly what I’m saying.”
Or the NG+ au where Akira knows more than he lets on, the Phantom Thieves start to suspect one of their own, and Akechi is in for a wild ride. - Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (Persona 5 Protagonist)/Goro Akechi
- Comments:
- I think this is a great story and it has over 150000 words so it's great for those whole like a longer story.
- Wonderland is a dangerous place, you know. This story wears the mask of Akira taking advantage of time travel by using overpowered Personas to decimate whoever crosses his path, mercilessly tease his friends, and seduce Goro Akechi. But it doesn't take long for the tension of being caught in a "Groundhog Day" Loop for who knows how long to begin to seep through the cracks. No time at all, in fact, if you note one of the story's tags: "Persona 5 Protagonist Has A Palace."
Persona V: Reversing the Wheel of Fate by CaptainBluestheProtoBreakman
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: KnightSpark, Mitis
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Ren was killed by the traitor after the end of Sae's interrogation. However, Ren suddenly finds himself waking up on the train to Shibuya, at the very start of his journey. Given a second chance at changing fate, Ren begins his adventure again but little did he know, new challenges and new characters will take the stage alongside him and his friends in this re-telling of Persona 5!
- Pairing(s): Note: The pairings have changed multiple times since the story began; these are the current ones. Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima/Shiho Suzui, Ryuji Sakamoto/Ann Takamaki, Haru Okumura/Hifumi Togo, Zenkichi Hasegawa/Sadayo Kawakami, Sojiro Sakura/Ichiko Ohya, Yuuki Mishima/Chihaya Mifune, Futaba Sakura/Kasumi Yoshizawa, Morgana/?, Sae Niijima/?
Retribution of the Trickster by Asphaow
- Recommended by: Mitis
- Status: Dead (last updated March 2021)
- Synopsis: Ren won the rigged game against Yaldabaoth, but the victory is pyrrhic; ruin has taken hold and only he and Morgana remain. But Igor has a proposition for him. In short: Joker and Mona from Persona 5 begin a New Game Plus in Persona 5 Royal.
Rig the Game: Royal by Hawkright01121999 and some1upoyo
- Trope page here.
- FFN link
- Recommended by: Chaos0205, Mitis
- Status: Dead (last updated December 2020)
- Synopsis: The Trickster won a game rigged against him. The odds were zero in his favour and yet he still won, but not before Yaldabaoth brought the rest of the world to ruin. After seeing this, Igor and Lavenza give Akira another chance to avert ruin, another chance at happiness, only this time in a different reality. In this reality, the Trickster is a girl, and Akira is the Trickster Mentor rigging her game from the shadows.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Sumire Yoshizawa
- Tags: Gender Flip
- Comments: This fic's summary would be "what if P5 Joker was in P5R? What if the P5R Joker was Female". By introducing P5 Joker into P5R, The author managed to lessen a lot of bad event in P5R and allowed P5R Joker/Sumire a better chance of living. A must read for Sumire fans.
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: N8han11
- Status: Hiatus (last updated November 2021)
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Sumire Yoshizawa, Ann Takamaki/Shiho Suzui, Ryuji Sakamoto/Haru Okumura
- Synopsis: One second, Sumire is sure she's dead. Then she isn't. She wasn't sure how or why, but getting flung back to last April wasn't part of the plan. But this is good, she can use this, she's definitely not freaking out, and she is DEFINITELY not hyperventilating over this. She can handle this, she's a Yoshizawa. Maybe this time, Violet can shine much, much earlier. (A fic where Sumi's memories carry over to NG+)
- Comments: Basically, a classic New Game Plus/Peggy Sue plotline, but with Sumire being the one to go back in time rather than Joker. From there, she tries to avert the fates her friends (and Akechi) all suffered in the original timeline, in turn granting several other characters like Haru, Shiho and Sumire herself more screentime and development than they got in canon.
Round Two by Rouge Ebony
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: Mitis
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Joker defeated the false god... but at what price? His friends lay dead around him as he pulled the Trigger to drive Yaldabaoth out of existence. But Fate is kind to the Trickster for once and grants him a Second try to make things right and save those closest to him. Will he succeed? what else has changed in this new game? Akira Kurusu x Harem. Lots of genderbent characters.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Manynote , Ann Takamaki/Shiho Suzui
- Tags: Alternate Universe Fic, Gender Flipped
The Start Again series by Scedasticity
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: Mattman The Comet, infernape612, Mitis, Noxshade, DigiXBot
- Status: Dormant; last updated April 2022
- Synopses:
- "The Count of Monte Cristo" (Complete): After losing to the Holy Grail and fading away in Shibuya, Haru wakes up at the beginning of the school year — of her first year of high school. It's not ideal, but she'll do what she has to. As soon as she figures out what that is.
- "Escher" (Complete): Futaba has a weird sense of deja vu, until she doesn't.
- "Echoes in the Void" (Complete): Goro fails to take control of his destiny, but maybe that's okay.
- "Valor and Discretion" (Complete): There are times to keep secrets and times to share secrets and times to create bigger secrets, and Ryuji just hopes he's identifying them correctly.
- "medjed: can hack ur brain" (Complete): February-March with a newly merged team: an overview.
- A Chat Fic which functions as the prologue to the next work of the series.
- "Collateral" (Complete): Makoto has a lot to catch up on in a hurry. The concussion is NOT HELPING.
- "The Count of Monte Cristo"
- Comments: Start Again is a series of Peggy Sue What If? fics which, following a loss against Yaldabaoth, sends the Phantom Thieves back in time to points before the start of the game. These matters are then complicated by the fact that some members don't seem to remember the old timeline - yet. Those that do remember end up forming their own ragtag groups of thieves involving allies new, old, and Akechi. Though separated by circumstance and timing, our lovable rogues plan to steal some hearts and right what once went wrong (if they don't Butterfly it into a bigger problem first. Looking at you, mysterious group drugging Shujin kids and throwing them into the Metaverse). Also Akira's showing up in their dreams. That's probably important.
Throw Away Your Mask by MollyPollyKinz
- Recommended by: Sanic27
- Status: Ongoing; The story is fully written with chapters being released every Tuesday and Thursday
- Pairings: All Pairings are background. Goro Akechi/Akira Kurusu, Persona 4 Protagonist/Yosuke Hanamura, Junpei Iori/Chidori Yoshino
- Synopsis: Post Maruki Akechi instead of dying winds up 8 years in the past, in his child body back in Iwatodai, with his persona abilities in-tact. Now he has to find a way to stop the end of the world and (even worse) work with teenagers! Akechi would rather have stayed dead.
- Comments: A combination New Game Plus fic and Persona Crossover fic featuring Akechi time traveling to the past and experiencing Persona 3-5 with his own set of social links. Some of them being very interesting choices Mitsuru's Father. This is one of the best persona fics I have ever read and the best part is? The entire thing is pre-written, so there's zero chance it gets abandoned. Child Akechi being so done with SEES and their actions is very amusing to read, and as you'd expect with Time Travel fics some canon events don't proceed as usual... October 4th. It's a very good read and has left me very excited for Tuesdays and Thursdays!
to dream of a dream by quags1re
- Recommended by: N8han11
- Status: Dead (last updated June 2021)
- Synopsis: During the final fight with Maruki, Akira finds himself transported years into the past and wonders what he's doing in 2014 when he stumbles upon Goro Akechi in Mementos, who is just about to kill Wakaba Isshiki and start up a chain of events that will eventually lead to his demise. Not if Akira has anything to say about it.
- Pairings(s): Akira Kurusu (Persona 5 Protagonist)/Goro Akechi
- Comments: Basically, during the final battle of Royal, Joker accidentally gets sent back in time by two years. There, he decides to Set Right What Once Went Wrong by stopping Akechi from killing Wakaba and trying to prevent Kasumi's death.
The Trickster's Reawakening by SmokedJoker
- Recommended by: Mitis
- Status: Dead (last updated November 2020)
- Synopsis: Erased from reality by the Holy Grail and strapped to a guillotine by his Wardens, Ren Amamiya wants nothing more than another chance, and an unknown entity grants his wish, sending him into the past a year before his arrest. Ren vows to bring down the Holy Grail and be a good friend, leader, and lover this time. But the world is slightly different than he remembers, and his actions cause ripples of their own.
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Ann Takamaki
- Tags: Alternate Universe Fic
Crack Fics
Just plain weird stories.
The Metaverse Games series by mewrose
The Metaverse Games series
by mewrose- Recommended by: Mitis
- Status: Complete(?)
- Synopsis: A collection of substantial one-shot fics revolving around the Phantom Thieves playing a word game with the name of the dungeons. Currently consists of three stories revolving around Mementos (Royal), Labyrinths (Q2), and Jails (Strikers).
Of Curiosity and Sombreros by Vallias
- Recommend by: Mister OM, Eon 101
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: A short Alternate Universe Crack Fic where Labrys joins the Phantom Thieves. However, when the time comes for her to pick a codename, Labrys insists on a weird and unexpected one, which confuses everybody.
- Comment: As said in the synopsis, this is both an Alternate Universe Fic and a Crack Fic. It’s short, it’s sweet and it’s pretty funny. If you like Labrys and if you like the Phantom Thieves, go ahead and give it a read. Spoilers for Persona 4: Arena.
Dark Fics
Stories focused on making the series darker, and/or exploring the darker aspects of the series.
Morning Star by NoRoleModels
Morning Star
by NoRoleModels- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: That ONE Guy With A Name
- Status: Active
- Synopsis: "Call it what you will—a revelation from God, or a curse of the demon king. The fact remains that our world is on the verge of ruin. A heretic has called upon an unearthly light, and devastation is at hand. Chaos has crawled out of the depths of the ocean, from the black abyss. Death upon death...nothing but death in this distorted world. Who can we pray to? There are only Shadows and fiends here. A voice in the dark beguiles me: Emancipation is an illusion, made real by the candles' flames."
- Comments: Holy Mother of Demifiend this Fanfiction. I am not understating it when I say this might be the darkest Persona 5 Fic ever written. Taking various elements from the SMT Game Nocturne and fusing them with the setting of Persona 5 have made this story not only unique but also gruesome and terrifying to read. With a Joker who is somewhere between insanity and villainy, amazingly written fight scenes and haunting writing style that takes the best of both worlds, I HIGHLY recommend this story for anyone who always wanted to know what a SMT inspired Persona story would be like.
Persona 5: Rebellion by Kaladin7144
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: DragonSun, 9thOutworldsMan
- Status: Dead; last updated July 2019
- Synopsis: Akira Kurusu was thrown in Juvenile hall for a year, for a crime he didn't commit. He came out to a world that he wasn't prepared for. Facing more opposition then he could have ever imagined, he will fight to his last breath — to install his justice upon the world, and get revenge on those who wronged him. A retelling of Persona 5 where the assault happened a year before canon.
- Comments: One of the most captivating Persona 5 Fanfictions this Troper has read in a long time. Kaladin7144 took an original idea that fits perfectly into the game's themes and is developing it into a Masterpiece. Having the assault take place one year before the game allows a more hardened Akira/Ren, who was affected by the assault accusations much more than his canon self, to shine and have an impact on the story without ever seeming too edgy. Its darker tone can hold his own against some other Persona Fanfictions like Crimson and is a big recommendation if you are in the mood for a darker retelling of Persona 5. Having just finished the Kamoshida arc, there's hopefully more to come.
Persona Crossover Fics
Stories which mix elements from two different Persona games.
Ace in the Hole by eiranerys
Ace in the Hole
by eiranerys- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: Leliel, Mattman The Comet, Red-Dead-Redeemer, johnny-come-lately, BobtheBoldore
- Crossover with: Persona 3
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Masayoshi Shido has barred the Shadow Operatives from action for two years, since the death of Wakaba Isshiki. But when the Phantom Thieves appear, Mitsuru decides that they can't keep just watching from the sidelines. Luckily, there is a certain former member Shido doesn't seem to be aware of: Ken Amada. But when Ken meets the Phantom Thieves in person, he can't help but agree with their goals. He can't help but befriend them. Maybe it only had been a matter of time before he actually joined them.
- Pairing(s): Ken Amada/Makoto Niijima, Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Ann Takamaki, Minato Arisato (P3 Protagonist)/Yukari Takeba, Minako Arisato (P3 Female Protagonist)/Akihiko Sanada, Shinjiro Aragaki/Fuuka Yamagishi, Junpei Iori/Chidori, Yu Narukami (P4 Protagonist)/Rise Kujikawa, Kanji Tatsumi/Naoto Shirogane
- Comments:
- Leliel: A fun crossover wherein the now senior highschooler Ken shows up around the time of the Kaneshiro heist as a mole for SEES, bringing in his far more experienced perspective into things. The fic also shows the much Older and Wiser Shadow Operatives after having lived through Persona 3 and the Arena games, and features the FeMC as Minato's still-living sister, Minako, as a supporting protagonist.
- Mattman The Comet: I've been following this fic since day one, and I don't regret it for a second. Infinity_Fool has crafted a story that uses the added gout of the earlier Persona teams to further explore the Phantom Thieves and their interpersonal dynamics. Expect to say to yourself "Wow, why didn't the game do that?" several times during your read, regardless of any of the added characters.
- johnny-come-lately: The overall implementation of the Persona 3 cast into the plot and story of Persona 5 has been handled excellently thus far, and in ways that further increases the familial drama for Ken Amada (if that were even possible). Highly recommended.
The Cat Chat series by mewrose
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: Shadeblade96, BobtheBoldore, AmityDreams, transparentanswer
- Crossover with: Persona 4
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: What if Yu met the Phantom Thieves and became friends with them, just because he really loves cats?
- Comments: A series in which Yu Narukami meets Ren and Morgana by chance, becoming Ren's confidant for the World arcana and an advisor/friend of the Phantom Thieves. Focuses mostly on Yu's bond with Ren throughout the younger Fool's journey and giving him guidance through the stress of that journey.
Definition of Found Family, by haweking_eta
- Recommended by: Hayden_Jay
- Status: Dead; last updated March 2019
- Crossover with: Persona 2
- Synopsis: [Canon Divergence/AU where Tatsuya and Jun are Akira's parents and more involved in his life during his probation]
- Pairing(s): Tatsuya Suou (P2 Protagonist)/Jun Kurosou, Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Yusuke Kitagawa
- Comments: This series consists of short fics that are 2 chapters long: the main part and an omake. Both Jun and Tatsuya were in places they hoped they could affect things in Akira's problem and were unable to do so. The omake chapters generally focus on their perspective and if the main chapter focuses on them it will be Akira or someone else in his world. I'm looking forward to seeing how having former Persona users as his parents changes things for him once that kicks off.
the disappearance of goro akechi, by KupoWonders
- Recommended by johnny-come-lately
- Status: Complete
- Crossover with: Persona 4
- Synopsis: Five years ago in Inaba, a wildcard betrayed his friends and helped a murderer walk free. Now, as Medjed’s threat thrusts the spotlight on the Phantom Thieves and the Second Detective Prince racing to unmask them, police from all over Japan are called to Tokyo to help the investigation. And as the familiar silhouette of a boy with a briefcase appears on TV sets at midnight, it’s only a matter of time before someone gives the people what they want. (On the eve of Medjed's defeat, Goro Akechi gets thrown into the TV.)
- Comments: As the author makes clear at the outset, this takes place 5 years after the Accomplice Ending of P4, where Yu Narukami only maxed out the Social Link with Adachi. As such, Adachi's inner monologue is appropriately slimy; but what follows is a great character analysis into Goro Akechi because of how his Shadow manifests in the TV World. Likewise for the P5 characters who end up in the TV World and the P4 characters who end up in the Metaverse. Highly recommended.
A Family Back in Inaba by Lord Tenebros
- Recommended by Clato Lawa
- Status: Ongoing
- Crossover with: Persona 4
- Pairings: Ren/Haru, Yu/Rise, minor Kanji/Naoto
- Synopsis: After the events of Royal, Ren returns to Inaba and an empty house, as his otherwise loving parents have fled the country out of fear of Shido. However, he and Morgana are not alone, as he quickly reunites with his surrogate siblings, better known as the Investigation Team.
- Comments: A great P4 crossover, a great P5 continuation, and one of the best portrayals I've seen of Joker's parents, absent though they may be.
Forewarned is Forearmed, by VampireBadger
- Trope page here.
- Recommended By: johnny-come-lately
- Crossover with: Persona 4
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: When Akira Kurusu is ten years old, his parents die in an accident. One year later, he comes to Inaba. He doesn't expect to find family there, and he doesn't expect to find a hidden world of monsters inside the TV. He finds both; five years later he is arrested and shipped off to Tokyo. There, he finds a Velvet Room that doesn't seem quite like the one he remembers, Lavenza missing, and a whole new world of Shadows—and this time, there's no Investigation Team to help save the day. He never could learn how to stay out of trouble.
- Comments: A series beginning with Forewarned, it features a young Akira Kurusu arriving in Inaba to become the temporary ward of the Dojima household. This runs concurrent with Yu Narukami's stay in Inaba; naturally, Akira's presence has plenty of ripples with the main plot of Persona 4, which span further in the sequel Forearmed that covers the plot of Persona 5 Royal and Persona Q. Other stories in the series cover Persona 4: Arena, Persona 4: Dancing, and various slice-of-life moments. The author currently maintains a weekly update schedule fairly regularly. Highly recommended.
Fortune Favours The Bold by ThreadOfFate
- Recommended by: mrthischarmingman2, solfieri, Red-Dead-Redeemer
- Status: Dead (last updated August 2021)
- Pairing(s): Naoto Shirogane/Sae Niijima/Rise Kujikawa, Makoto Niijima/Ann Takamaki, Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Yusuke Kitagawa
- Crossover with: Persona 4
- Synopsis: Naoto Shirogane, now twenty, is called in to the SIU to help apprehend the Phantom Thieves. Working alongside prosecutor Sae Niijima, Naoto suspects that there's more to the Phantom Thieves than some online popularity and a flashy logo. As the mystery unravels, Naoto's presence threatens the stability of Tokyo's shadowy puppeteers - and certain conspirators are desperate to keep her away from the truth.
- Comments: A brilliant fic that feels like what would happen in the scenario of Naoto being in Persona 5. While I'm not really into same sex pairings, the author makes them feel natural and genuine. Solid recommendation.
Persona: Shadow Crisis by Gamerbot019
- Recommended by: AmityDreams
- Crossover with: Persona 3, Persona 4
- Status: Dead (last updated December 2021)
- Synopsis: Back in 2016, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts were formed to steal the hearts of corrupt adults and make them confess their crimes. After changing Masayoshi Shido’s heart and later facing off against Yaldabaoth near the end of the year and Takuto Maruki at the beginning of 2017 following the God of Control’s defeat, the Phantom Thieves had disbanded and went their separate ways. The following summer, the Phantom Thieves banded together once again to stop various individuals from changing the hearts of the masses through an AI app called EMMA. After putting an end to the incident, the Phantom Thieves had disbanded and went their separate ways once again. One year later, these events, in addition to others that came before them, have brought forth a crisis threatens to plunge the world into chaos, and it’s up to the Phantom Thieves, in addition to two other groups of that have dealt with these previous incidents, to band together and fight back against this new threat.
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Sumire Yoshizawa, Yu Narukami (P4 Protagonist)/Rise Kujikawa
- Tags: Post-Canon, Work In Progress, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
- Comments: Inspired by Raptorclaw's fanfic, Persona: Shadow Crisis is essentially a love letter to that. While there are some similarities, this story will potentially get better with each consecutive chapter as it makes sure to stand out from its inspiration.
The Phantom Thief Minato series by CubanCracker62
- Recommended by: AmityDreams
- Crossover with: Persona 3
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: An AU where Minato ends up becoming a Phantom Thief.
- Tags: What If?, Amnesia
- Comments: This series explores what would happen if Minato had joined the Phantom Thieves a while after Okumura's Palace, and I enjoy it so much. From character interactions to Minato trying to recover his lost memories, these fanfics are fun to read through if you're a fan of seeing what happens if another character gets involved in the events of Persona 5 and a Minato revival story.
The Royal Strikers by TheNewWorldFool and CloudStrife07
- Also hosted on fanfiction.net and Wattpad.
- Now has a tropes page!
- Recommended by: AmityDreams, Mitis
- Crossover with: Persona 3, Persona 4
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: When the Metaverse makes an unexpected return in the form of Jails ruled by Shadow-selves known as Monarchs, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts are called back into action once more to reclaim the Desires stolen by these Monarchs from innocent people all across Japan alongside a very much alive Goro Akechi, as well as new allies, such as the mysterious and highly advanced AI known as Sophia, the intrepid Public Security Inspector Zenkichi Hasegawa, and even older, more experienced Persona-users such as the small town boys and girls comprising the Inaba Investigation Team, and even the government-backed Shadow Operatives, who might just have a job offer in store for the Phantom Thieves...
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Sumire Yoshizawa, Yosuke Hanamura/Chie Satonaka, Yu Narukami (P4 Protagonist)/Rise Kujikawa, Kanji Tatsumi/Naoto Shirogane, Minato Arisato (P3 Protagonist)/Yukari Takeba, Ryuji Sakamoto/Ann Takamaki, Ken Amada/Makoto Niijima, Yusuke Kitagawa/Futaba Sakura
- Tags: Co-Written, Spoilers, Adaptation Expansion
- Comments: Can I step in and say that this is a pretty good adaptation of Persona 5 Strikers I've stumbled across so far? It manages to follow canon quite well while implementing additions and changes to the story, such as the inclusion of Akechi and Sumire and extending the adventure to last three months instead of one. The author plans on having the Phantom Thieves meet the Investigation Team and Shadow Operatives by adding two new Jails in Inaba and on Tatsumi Port Island, which is worth looking forward to if you want to see these three groups interact. Despite the slow updates, this fanfic's a fun one if you like to see stuff that the game didn't feature.
The Spider's Thread by FourthDistraction
- Recommended by: mrthischarmingman2, Dirtyblue929, Taxima, Hayden_Jay, solfieri, Red-Dead-Redeemer, Mitis, Vellaen
- Crossover with: Persona 4
- Status: Dead (discontinued)
- Synopsis: One year after saving humanity from the Holy Grail, strange occurrences bring Akira Kurusu back to Tokyo during summer break. At the same time, a curious case prompts brand-new police officer Yu Narukami to reassemble the Investigation Team. They might all be Persona-users, but can a ragtag group of investigators find common ground with the infamous Phantom Thieves of Hearts?
- Pairing(s): Yu Narukami (P4 Protagonist)/Rise Kujikawa, Kanji Tatsumi/Naoto Shirogane, Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Ann Takamaki, Ryuji Sakamoto/Makoto Niijima and Yusuke Kitagawa/Futaba Sakura.
- Comments: A very well written piece that feels like a genuine continuation of both Persona games. The author takes their time with letting the story progress, letting it flow naturally instead of jumping straight into the main action. The story is also written so that readers can become engrossed in the story even if they aren't familiar with the Persona 4 spinoff games, making it a story that any Persona fan can enjoy. — mrthischarmingman2
- Solid recommendation. Pacing, characterization, and flow of events is pitch-perfect; it feels like the story I'd expect from an official spinoff like Arena. — Dirtyblue929
- It really is fantastic. For those that prefer Archive of Our Own it can be found there here
Steal the Truth, Reach Out for Your Heart by chrising.
- Has a trope page which can be found here.
- Recommended by: AdtAuthor44, BobtheBoldore, Mitis
- Crossover with: Persona 3, Persona 4
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: April of 2020, Ren Amamiya has a chance encounter with Masayoshi Shido that sends his life careening out of control. In February of 2021, just months before he leaves his hometown of Inaba to head to Tokyo, he has a chance encounter with classmate Nanako Dojima. When Nanako finds out Ren in being forced to leave for the big city, she can't let go of the injustice. And follows him.
- Comments: This fic follows Nanako as she heads to Tokyo along with Ren and joins the Phantom Thieves. Instead of gaining a Persona as is typical for these kinds of fics, Nanako instead uses a copy of Yu's compendium in the Metaverse much like Margaret. While the fic is over 200 chapters long, the chapters themselves are relatively short due to covering parts of each day. Definitely recommended for fans of Nanako.
Other Crossover Fics
Stories which mix elements from two different worlds.
40 Thieves? I Just Need One Wizard! by Quatermass
40 Thieves? I Just Need One Wizard!
by Quatermass- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover With: Harry Potter
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Falling through the Veil to save Sirius, a wizard ends up in a mental world, ruled over by a strange Pharaoh, the Shadow of a reclusive teenage hacker. Fate intervenes to bring them together. But can Harry Potter and Futaba Sakura rise to the challenge of being Phantom Thieves?
- Comments: Thanks to Harry, Futaba's Palace is cleared before The Phantom Thieves dealt with Kamoshida's, and thanks to Sirius, they have an acquaintance in Sae, been if her Palace hasn't even been discovered, nor aware that Harry & Sirius is part of the Phantom Thieves.
A Conman's Kindness by Mugiwara N0 Luffy
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover With: Mob Psycho 100
- Status: Dead (last updated March 2019)
- Synopsis: Arataka Reigen is many things. A self-proclaimed psychic. An entrepreneur. A conman. But above all, he's a genuinely good guy. And some people could use a conman's help now and then.
- Comment: Reigen helps the Confidants before the game starts in his own suave way.
A Dragon Among Thieves by Kyon813
- Recommended By: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover With Like a Dragon
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Kazuma Kiryu thought this would be just another visit to Tokyo. Then he wandered past a certain school on a certain day in April, and everything got stranger from there. He might not understand these kids with their "Cognitions" and "Metaverses" and "Personas", but helping strangers, busting heads, and digging through a national conspiracy? All in a day's work for the Dragon of Dojima.
- Comments: While canon is still happens, Kiryu helped the thieves on the side as he investigates them.
A Phantom's Dance on the Edge by Author of the Laurel Trees
- Recommended by VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Cyberpunk 2077
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: A run-of-the-mill Night City gig turns for the strange as V, River, and Judy find themselves trapped. V has seen a lot in her time but a talking cat is probably in her top five. With the aid of a mysterious Fixer, V must help newfound allies in their goal of social reform.
- Comments: V, Judy, and River investigate a mysterious BD that causes people to disappear. This leads them to get stranded in another world where Phantom thieves, led by Lynn Amamiya (her Japanese friends call her Rin), bring justice to the common masses, and V now has a pseudo-Wild Card ability to be able to make a contract with Shadows to be her Personas.
Career Week by t3h maniac. Series link on AO3.
- Recommended by: ChaosHatagami
- Crossover with: Like a Dragon
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: All Third Year students in Shujin Academy have to spend a week getting work experience to help prepare them for life ahead, and now in his senior year Ryuji's one of them. Although there's very little that could prepare anyone for having to deal with the craziest boss in Japan. Crazy in a good way. Hopefully.
- Pairing(s): Ryuji Sakamoto/Haru Okumura
- Comments: A very fun romp where Ryuji ends up having to work for a freed Goro Majima at Majima Construction for Career Week, and things go even crazier from there.
The Chains are On:Royal by Khratz
- Recommended by: LinkUSA
- Crossover with: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
- Status:Ongoing
- Synopsis: "Akira Kurusu, accused of a crime he didn't commit, arrives at Tokyo with the weight of despair and injustice on his back. But when he finds a hidden power inside him, he and his comrades will embark in a quest to clean the evil that lurks inside the depths of society and break the chains of destiny. (Royal Spoilers)"
- Comments: A great crossover that takes the story of P5 and tweaks it with Jojo elements. Such as an older Josuke joining the SIU as a detective, and replacing Personas like Arsene and Zorro with new and unique Stands.
Dost Thou Even Steal Hearts? by BukuBuku
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: Buckbuck2, Shadeblade96, Mitis
- Crossover with: My Hero Academia
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: After losing to Yaldabaoth, the Phantom Thieves are scattered to worlds unknown. While the focus is almost exclusively on Joker and Morgana, there are a few chapters that focus on the other Phantom Thieves, who were sent to other worlds.Which?
Dream of Acedia (Be Your True Mind) by Phurtershep
- Trope Page here.
- Recommended by: AdtAuthor44
- Crossover with: OMORI
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Ren Amamiya, leader of the Phantom Thieves, receives a request from an anonymous sender to help a young boy locked inside his house for four years of his own volition. What he finds is a distortion powerful enough that it can be sensed in the real world, and a shattered group of people who once called each other friends. What could have happened in this town for such a powerful distortion to form, and how will it end up fixed?
- Pairing(s): None
- Tags: Implied/Referenced Suicide, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
- Comments:
Everyone's Favorite Detective Prince, Goro! by GauchePear23
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Like a Dragon
- Status: Dead; last updated November 4th, 2020
- Synopsis: Majima Goro was dead. Conspiracies waged in the underbelly of Tokyo, from the mafia growing in Shibuya, the inner turmoil of the Tojo Clan's top earning family in the Kamurocho district of Shinjuku, and the puppet masters whose influence reached far beyond the sprawling city. Majima Goro was dead...But Akechi Goro, idol high school detective and effective prisoner of the worst bastards the city had to offer, was very much alive, and this dog had no intention but to bite the very hand that feeds him. From dancing in the streets of Kamurocho to delving into the depths of Mementos with intent, nothin' would get in this hitman detective's way!
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Like a Dragon
- Status: One-Shot
- Synopsis: A young Makoto Niijima gets lost in the streets of Tokyo, separated from her father. Just when it seems like she'll never get home, a very large and stoic man lends a helping hand.
The Game of Stealing Hearts by Ha_YouWish
- Recommended by: Queen-Roger
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: About a year or so after the Reaper’s Game, Neku enjoys his not-really-normal life as a student with his friends. However, when he suspects that the home life of his new friend, Yusuke Kitagawa, might be abusive situation, he’s pulled into a new world that both clashes and mixes with his own… A world where hearts can be stolen and lives can be saved because of it.
- Pairing(s): Eri/Misaki Shiki, Suzui Shiho/Takamaki Ann
- Crossover with: The World Ends with You
- Tags: Asexual character(s), LGBTQ+ Characters(s), Spoilers for both games, Conductor Sakuraba Neku, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Discussions of abuse, A New Day??? who the fuck is that, No Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, rhyme deserves more screen time so i'm gonna give the people (me) what they want, No beta we die like neku, Canon-Typical Violence, i guess this isnt going to follow the twewy sequel either lmao, game mechanics are like playdough. i will shape them into what i want, No P 5 S spoilers, i havent finished it dont spoil me pls :/
- Comments:
Heart and Mind by Scruff the Rat (FF.Net link)
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Status: Ongoing
- Crossover with: Steven Universe
- Synopsis: When a new threat descends upon humanity, its hybrid nature forces the Crystal Gems and Phantom Thieves to collaborate in a race against time for the fate of all. (Takes place post-Persona 5 Royal, mid-Steven Universe Future.)
- Comments: A great read, not to mention being part-Gem makes Steven's Palace more unique than what The Phantom Thieves can handle.
Heart's Oath by Heaven's Chocolate
- Recommended by: BetaHalo
- Crossover with: Fate/stay night
- Status: Dead (discontinued)
- Undergoing rewrite as The Oath in Our Hearts (Dead; last updated December 2018)
- Undergoing rewrite as The Oath in Our Hearts
- Synopsis: Shirou Emiya is expelled from Homurahara Academy after defending Illya, unaware of his actions being puppeteer by the man he trusted the most. Set to walk on a path of ruin, he tries to fight against the oppressive chains placed on him and for the change he seeks in a rigged game where not even the Trickster can overcome.
- Comments: This story has one of the most badass Shirou amalgamation of all fics I've ever seen. Think Oath Under Snow Shirou, mixed with pure unadulterated UBW determinator and a sprinkle of Prisma Illya innocence quickly burned away under the weight of GAR. Getting involved with the Metaverse quickly turns the most humane Shirou into one hell of a fighter. It helps that he get emotionally invested in a side character in a way that Sakura would kill for. Rebellious!Shirou has been GAR Certificated. Also, Kerry goes more along the lines of his Oath Under Snow version even if this should be the Prisma Timeline...
In Pursuit of Desires by Takamura Rules (AO3 Link)
- Recommended by: ANN16632
- Status:Ongoing
- Crossover with: Octopath Traveler II
- Synopsis: Victory...was boring. Despite everything he'd been through, Ren had a wanderlust to him. When Elizabeth approaches him with the veritable offer of a lifetime, he couldn't say no. Join Ren as he explores, fights, and steals his way across the Solistia region. Watch him as he makes new friends and rivals and discovers dark secrets. And just maybe...Take down a God or two. P 5 XOT 2.
- Comment: Takes place in the future of Persona 5 Royal as Ren Amamiya is sent to the world of Octopath Traveler 2 to look into its Night Gods. It is probably the first crossover fic between the two critically acclaimed franchises and the story has gotten off to a great start.
Joker's Bizarre Adventure by VenomSpider33
- Recommended by: Spence 95
- Crossover with: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: P5/Part 6 AU. Jolyne Cujoh has found herself in the grasp of a twisted game. Together with her new friends, she must work with them in order to overcome this dark game. Her bizarre adventure is just beginning. Edited by Ghost Fire 6
- Comments: This story takes Jolyne Cujoh, the Deconstruction of a Joestar personality and makes her Joker of Persona 5. It has a good start and justifies her staying with Sakura-San by having him be an old schoolmate of Jotaro's. And it goes from there.
Knight of the Renegades, byKnightblazer
- Recommended by: TVTRPS, BobtheBoldore
- Crossover with: Sherlock
- Status: Dead (last updated November 2017)
- Synopsis: Three months after the death of the fraudulent detective Sherlock Holmes, London finds itself busy with a new string of incidents committed by what is a quickly growing urban legend: the vigilante group only known as the Renegades. Their crime: stealing the hearts of criminals and making them confess their guilt. Nobody knows who they are or what their methods are, but one thing is for certain: the Yard is definitely over their heads over this one.
- Comments: This is a brilliant series that deserves much more attention that it has currently. Lestrade makes for a brilliant leader of the Renegades(This AU's version of the Phantom Thieves) and the dynamic is completely different surrounding the members of the team who aside from one character from the Canon Phantom Thieves are all completely made up of Sherlock characters...I look forward to seeing where the rest of this series can take me...
Lelouch of the Wings of Rebellion by Magus Zero
- Recommended by LordVectorum84, Andrzej
- Crossover with: Code Geass
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: In an alternate world without Geass, Lelouch awakens to another power from the collective consciousness - Persona. Leading a band of phantom thieves through the Metaverse, he seeks to topple the Britannian regime, stealing one corrupt heart at a time. Featuring the cast and setting of Code Geass, put into Persona 5's overarching scenario.
- Pairing(s): Lelouch/Kallen/Shirley/Leila
- Comments: A fantastic fic that weaves together the narrative of Persona 5 with the characters of Code Geass for an excellent crossover. Apart from Igor, no actual Persona 5 characters have appeared though.
Luck of the Draw by Takamura Rules (AO3 Link)
- Recommended by: ANN16632
- Status: Ongoing
- Crossover with: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
- Synopsis:He didn't want a confrontation, but he knew it was inevitable. Maruki then happened to stumble upon another option: Send them to another reality. Stuck in another world, Joker and the Phantom Thieves must now contend with Gods, Monsters, and crazy people trying to sell them Nikes. Can Joker lead his team back and stop Maruki?
- Comment: A crossover that makes sense.The author masterfully adds the Phantom Thieves from 3rd Semester to the world of Percy Jackson and there presence has notable effects on the world .The author has a good grasp on action as the fight scenes are some of the best.
Mercy, Justice, Law, Vengeance by Manic_Misanthrope
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Like a Dragon
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: A detective died in 2013. For many it was a tragedy and nothing more, but for Sae Niijima the death of her father changed everything. Abandoning her career path as an up-and-coming Prosecutor for a far darker path what was once idealism and pride has been replaced by a burning desire to find the truth and enact a wrathful vengeance on the man responsible. But what would be left of her at the end of that road and what about those still living she cares for?
New Vegas Showtime by BarthVader
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Status: Ongoing
- Crossover with: Fallout: New Vegas
- Synopsis: In a last-ditch attempt to beat the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, the God of Control banishes them to the future - namely, the Nevada of the early 2280s. The eight scattered Thieves (and a plus one) need to survive the wild west of the Mojave long enough to reunite and return to their world, and will inevitably get embroiled with the area's struggles in the process.
- Comments: To quote a comment, "I always like to see stories of a group of heroes with ideals of justice end up in a completely gray and degrading world like the world of Fallout".
Of Magical Girls and Phantom Thieves by YAqkawer
- Recommended By Zaiaku666
- Crossover with: Lyrical Nanoha
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: It was just like that night about a year ago. Only this time it was a little girl with a ferret, and instead of a drunk politician it was a literal monster. The only thing he could do was what he thought was right. But just when did things get so pink?
- Pairing(s): None as of the June 1, 2021 update. Although there is some Threesome Subtext
- Comments: A very good fic that almost seamlessly blends the Persona universe with the Nanoha universe. While there is some tension with Ren's lack of trust of the TSAB, though not without reason, the way he acts as a sort of mentor to Nanoha in a world teacher sense is very genuine in his nature. It should be forewarned however, that the fic does note that Nanoha and Fate, are romantically attracted to Ren in way that even he can't dismiss as a simple Precocious Crush (though he doesn't recipocate), although it does factor in heavily to the story and won't beat your head in with it, it will remind you from time and time again.
- Recommended by: TrulyHuman
- Crossover with: RWBY
- Status: Dead (discontinued)
- Synopsis: Waking up alone in a world that didn't know his name or past, Akira Kurusu didn't want to keep going after his steep fall from grace. Forgotten, defeated, and without either comrades or confidants, the former Joker must come to grips with his failures while establishing himself once more. Getting drawn into the supernatural again, though? Count him out, he has a business to run.
Persona 5 Royal | I Think I Technically Count as a Literal RPG Guy Now. - Scott The Woz by Vexilanimous
- Recommended by: Olikuma
- Crossover with: Scott The Woz
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Scott gets trapped in an Alternate Tokyo thanks to Dr Anna May, who couldn't let Scott's refusal to play Persona 5 slide, now starting his probation with Ren Amamiya, he becomes a founding member of the Phantom Thieves under the codename "Duel" and has to steal hearts, go back to high school, and find a way out of this damn game.
Persona Edgerunners: Providence by Orian Durante
- Recommended by VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: David Martinez lived and died on the edge, a punk whose story, while remembered, ended a tragedy. But what if Supernatural Powers intervened to set him down a different path… the Path of the wildcard? With this power and bonds, he'll navigate the city of dreams and hopefully come out alive.
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: tikum31
- Crossover with: Code Vein, Nioh, Kakegurui
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Crossover of Persona 5 and the forthcoming Code Vein, with elements of Nioh and Kakegurui. A Revenant is thrown to the present timeline by an unknown force. Within his existence; this causes the resurgence of the Phantom Thieves, Yokai and Japanese folklore, the monsters from the Revenant's world, and two young women involved in an enthralling mystery. The original Book I of the Akane no Mai series.
- Pairing(s): Hifumi Togo/Code Vein Protagonist, Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Ann Takamaki, Makoto Niijima/Haru Okumura
- Comments: This story is promising in telling a six OVA-like chapters akin to Digimon Adventure tri. alongside promoting Code Vein's release, making it the first fanfic based on the video game to date. Besides showing the Phantom Thieves' involvement as young adults in returning to vigilante form, Hifumi Togo is involved in having a destined meeting with the Revenant himself. Originally, the author would have planned the later chapters (Act 4 - Final) to be uploaded after Code Vein's initial release (September 2018), but since the game is pushed back to 2019, he has completed the story and still bring forth surprises to the table. A sequel of this is written by a friend of the author, with the author involved as well.
Pet Time by Akzeal and DinobotLoki
- Crossover with: Pet Shop of Horrors
- Status: Complete
- Pairing(s): Mild hints of Count D/Leon Orcot and Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira
- Recommended by: transparentanswer
- Synopsis: Akira gets another part-time job. At a pet shop in Ikebukuro Chinatown. It's nice enough, and it wasn't like his life could get any weirder, right?
- Comments: The story heavily focuses on the interaction that the thieves all had with the quirky animals in D's pet shop and Akira finding a capable confidant in Count D while the canonical events of Persona 5 take a backseat in the background. While the hints of romance are tagged in the story, they are not shown often as the story focuses on the interaction of the thieves and the animals living in the pet shop, giving the story a feeling of a slice-of-life reprieve from the action that went down in Persona 5. The characters are well-characterized and the interactions between the quirky, often magical animals had with the cast are a delight to read.
Phantom Dragon Rising by pokemonrox7 (AO3 Link)
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Like a Dragon
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Society was broken. And Akira's wings were shredded by the shards. After a single night tore all Akira loved from him, he finds himself in Tokyo, living out an unjust probation. Forging new bonds and entering an alternate dimension to change the hearts of the wicked? Well...he was the ward of the Dragon of Dojima; weirder things have happened.
- Comments: In this fic, Akira Kurusu is one of the orphans at the Morning Glory Orphanage, and after getting falsely accused of assault, he contacts The Florist to erase his existence, taking the name of Amamiya Ren as he is eventually sent to probation in Tokyo. Even so, the skills and moral values Kiryu Kazuma has taught him still hold strong. And oh yeah, Ren ended up having a boss fight with Kamoshida in the real world!
The Phantom Justice by LazinessRules
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover With: Young Justice (2010)
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: During their vacation in Markovia, Ren and his friends save a girl named Naomi from kidnapping and discover that the hottest gadget on the market, Goode Goggles, has a Metaverse App. Looks like The Phantom Thieves are back in Business!
- Comments: Set during The Outsiders Arc. Quite a good plot, including how Metagenes affect & influence their target's Palaces, and how The Phantom Thieves feel like they have to do something when the law tied The Justice League's hands.
The Phantom Dragon by Monty Cristo
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Like a Dragon
- Status:
- Book 1: A Way To Fall: Completed.
- Book 2: The Honest Price: Completed.
- Book 3: Truth and Justice: Ongoing.
- Book 1: A Way To Fall
- Synopsis:
- A Way To Fall: When 19 year old Akira Kurusu attempted to save an innocent woman's life, he realizes that he crossed the wrong man, and becomes sucked into a brewing conflict in the Japanese criminal underworld. There's nowhere left to go but down even further...
- The Honest Price: Kamurocho, the city of pleasure and decadence, has been rocked to its core in the wake of the Kamoshida incident. Rumors of a hero in the underworld are breaking out into civilian life, and all have been affected by the actions of a mysterious young yakuza. Akira Kurusu will be united with new allies and face down new foes as the underworld prepares for war. Family is everything.
- truth and Justice: War has come to Tokyo, but a moment of precious, fleeting peace awaits Akira and his friends after the brutal battle for Kamurocho. Returning to his hometown of Shimonosuke, the past haunts the present as new bonds are forged, and old bonds are tested in battles for power and oneself. The truth needed to face oneself may decide the fate of all those who call themselves "Dragon"...
Phantoms of the Bay by Flameal15k
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover With: Worm
- Status: Dead; Last updated in June 2nd, 2020.
- Synopsis: The Velvet Room has found its latest Wild Card in Brockton Bay, and who else if not one Taylor Hebert?
- Comments: Great fanfic. It's unique since not only does the power of Wild Card replace Taylor's Parahuman power, Taylor's Shard itself become self-aware and awaken their own Persona.
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Status: Ongoing
- Crossover With: Fire Emblem: Three Houses
- Synopsis: It was going so well. They'd won. They'd stolen the world back... So why is Joker's reward another world on the brink of ruin? Crests? Magic's real here? And now teaching? Next you'll say the Metaverse is here in Fódlan as well... Okay, that was sarcasm but sure, why not? A Phantom Thief's work is never easy, or ever done it seems
- Comment: Just as the final battle was over, Ren and Morgana found themselves at Fodlan, encountering Jeralt and Byleth. While Byleth and Ren choose Black Eagle house, the first two new Phantom Thieves in this new world were Golden Deer's Claude & Lysethia.
- Now has a Trope page.
The Pros and Cons to Living a Triple Life by Shire_Folk and Warner
- Trope page here
- Recommended by Clato Lawa
- Crossover with: Kingdom Hearts
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Some time after recovering from the events of Kingdom Hearts III, Sora, Kairi, Riku and Naminé are sent on a long-term undercover mission to Shujin Academy, where they get involved with the Phantom Thieves.
- Pairings: Akira/Ann, Sora/Kairi, Riku/Naminé, minor Aqua/Terra and Roxas/Xion.
- Note: Some explicit scenes between Sora/Kairi and Aqua/Terra.
Raise Your Voice Against Liars by BeeTeeDubya14 and Naruwitch
- FFN Link (no longer updated due to excessive harassment. AO3 is still updating, but comments are restricted to members only)
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock, Red-Dead-Redeemer
- Crossover with: Miraculous Ladybug
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: "We all wear masks, and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing some of our own skin." -Andre Berthiaume. A chance encounter on a school trip warps the reality between two groups of heroes.
- Pairing(s): Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Adrien Agreste/Kagami Tsurugi, Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Ryuji Sakamoto, Shiho Suzui/Ann Takamaki
- Comments: set after Persona 5's Pyramid of Wrath and Miraculous Ladybug's Battle of the Miraculous, Marinette thought she wont enjoy the class trip to Hawaii, thanks to Lila, when a group of Japanese High School students stood up for her as she get tripped by Lila...
Remnant's Phantom Thieves by PhoenixChampion
- Recommended by: Tropemania
- Crossover with: RWBY
- Status: Dead. Now has a rewrite, Remnant’s Phantom Thieves: Royal Strikers Edition
- Synopsis: Huntsmen and Huntresses are trained to protect humans and faunus and abide by the law to do so. The Phantom Thieves, on the other hand, steal away the corrupt desires of the crooked folks that are avoiding justice one way or another. Both are on the side of good, though on opposite sides of the law, and of course, both sides get results.
Shin Persona Evangelion, by Ultra Sonic 007
- Recommended By: johnny-come-lately
- Crossover with: Neon Genesis Evangelion, The rest of the other Persona games.
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: In the years since Second Impact, Angel Syndrome has terrorized the world: the living can become deadly Acolytes, and the dead can return as hateful Ghosts. Mankind's knowledge of the cognitive world has helped them to adapt, and slow the tide through groups like NERV and the Anti-Terror Task Force...but only just. If nothing changes, doom is assured before long. It is this greater conflict that Shinji Ikari steps into upon arriving in Tokyo-3. But of all the strange things he's had to deal with in his life, meeting a long-nosed man in an empty auditorium with velvet curtains ranks pretty high up there. What has he gotten himself into? [An Evangelion/Persona fusion]
- Comments: Much like in Evangelion, Shinji Ikari is thrust into fighting monstrous beings with the power of Evangelion, having not been given much in the way of a heads up. However, as the newest Wild Card, he has an ace up his sleeve in navigating a treacherous world (both in the real and the cognitive). Numerous characters from the Persona series have shown up thus far, in ways that indicate there's more going on behind the scenes...and among those who realize this include the former Wild Cards Minato Arisato, Yu Narukami, and Ren Amamiya.
- Hosted on Archive Of Our Own, FanFiction.net, SpaceBattles.com, and Sufficient Velocity, with the latter two featuring ongoing discussion.
- Hosted on Archive Of Our Own
Symphony of the Void by SpecterOfChains
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Dishonored
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: The Tokyo Phantom stalks the city, bringing to light long buried secrets with methods that could (rightfully) be described as supernatural. Ren Amamiya keeps his head down, content to let the world look right over him, content to be with his friends. Two sides of the same coin, marked by an old god of magic and the void. Will it be enough to save the world from ruin?
- Comments: Instead of Velvet Room, Ren got The Outsider instead.
Syndicate of Phantoms by CaptainBluesoftheFleetingDream
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Like a Dragon
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: The Tateyama Ren that was framed and arrested for assault was not the same Tateyama Ren that stepped foot in Shibuya. A teen sickened by the corrupt system that holds the citizens by the neck, Ren decides that it is time for a change.
The Teacher and The Hero by YanderePanzer
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Yakuza: Like a Dragon
- Status: One-Shot
- Synopsis: Ichiban Kasuga runs into a kid he saved, all grown up into a high-school teacher.
Thieves Can Be Heroes! by Mugiwara N0 Luffy Spacebattles Link
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: Space Cowboy, BobtheBoldore
- Crossover with: My Hero Academia
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Izuku Midoriya thought he was down on his luck the day that he was convicted of a crime for trying to save someone. As if being Quirkless wasn't enough, how was he supposed to become a hero with a criminal record? As it turns out, fate had another plan for him.
- Comments: A great meshing of both series that doesn't shy away from Izuku's depression over being punished by an unjust society for doing the right thing, or the very real injustices that can still occur within a world full of heroes. This is a story for fans of both the series as well as the characters involved.
Thieving Hearts by Catch358 (FF.Net Link)
- Recommended by VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Kingdom Hearts
- Status: Dead; last updated May 21st, 2021
- Pairing(s): Namine/Ryuji
- Synopsis: Following the events of kh3, Kairi and Naminé set out to find Sora using the gummiship. However, their search goes horribly wrong and they end up in the streets of Shibuya City where the mysterious 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts' resides. What will become of the girls in a world of hearts and thieves? Will they find Sora and possibly find some love along the way or will they lose their hearts trying?
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Danny Phantom
- Status: Dead; last updated March 2020
- Synopsis: "After an accident in his parents' lab resulting in his and Morgana's becoming halfas, Ren Amamiya and Morgana are disowned and sent to Tokyo to be trained under Danny Phantom, a world-renowned hero. Strange mental shutdown events plague the city by the time they arrive, as well as people needing their help. A plot much deeper than they know underlie it, but with the help of new friends, they hope to face it."
- Comments: This fic sets in AU where there is Ghost Zone instead of Metaverse, and Ren & Morgana are Half-Ghost instead of Persona users. A thrilling Action fic with Hurt-Comfort, living Wakaba, Danny Fenton as a renowned ghost & a hero, and Ren being a Cinnamon Roll.
To Relearn the Joy of Life by Magostera (FF.Net Link, Spacebattle Link)
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover With: Fate/Grand Order
- Status: Completed
- Synopsis: With the successful change of heart of Kaneshiro, Amamiya Ren felt the Phantom Thieves were doing pretty good. However, when a long absent returning student comes in and immediately tries to make her way into the group, Joker is far from imagining how deep the mysteries and burdens she carries run...
- Comments: Ritsuka Fujimaru returns to Japan after finishing Part 1 (skipping Epic of Remnant and Part 2), and stumble upon the Phantom Thieves. With her power as Magus, she convert the Shadows based on the 72 Pillar demons into the actual thing and becoming her Servants.
The Trickster and the Grand Order by Kenjichan251
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Status: Ongoing
- Crossover With: Fate/Grand Order
- Synopsis: People of power taken down. A false god shot. A fake paradise eradicated. One would think that for Ren Amamiya, leader of the Phantom Thieves, his adventures were over. However, a blood donation would turn his life upside down as he takes an offer from the Chaldea Security Organization - and once more fight for the fate of humanity.
- Comments: Ren & Morgana takes Fujimaru's place as the last master. While people question them due to Persona being a Wrong Context Magic to the Chaldea, things get interesting when not only the Metaverse app still works in the Singularity, but it can also target Servants, sometimes with Reality Marble being synonymous with Palace...(Although Ren's charisma works with some of the Servants, it feels like Ren has to explain to the rest of them what a Persona is to gain their trust, making the bond feel imbalanced).
Vanishing Act by Shocker, also on AO3
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: nitewind
- Crossover with: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Shizuka Joestar, Achtung Baby, is alone in the world after the death of her parents. Aimless, and seeking to get away from her father's business rivals, she moves back to Japan and quickly becomes wrapped up in a bizarre adventure of her own.
- Comments: A great fic combing both Persona 5 and Jojo.
- Seconded. This fic is a seamless fusion of the two universes. Everyone is in character and it thoroughly averts Stations of the Canon, being unafraid to go Off the Rails in the best possible way. - AvatarWanderful
- Now has a semi-sequel/expansion covering the Royal content here
Your [True] Name, byShirou_San
- Trope page here.
- Recommended By: kaleidoscope89, Red-Dead-Redeemer
- Crossover with: Your Name (Kimi no Na wa), Persona 4, Like a Dragon, Persona 3 (sequel)
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Mitsuha Miyamizu is a normal girl living a sedentary life in the country. Taki Tachibana is a normal boy living within the bustling sprawl of Tokyo. Mitsuha wishes for a life beyond her home town within the city, while Taki is just looking for the attention of his senpai at work. When these two cross paths in the most unexpected way, hijinks ensue! Although weirdly: Mitsuha's town of Inaba becomes the center of a spree of murders and kidnappings while Taki's school becomes the center of a girl's attempted suicide and the creation of a bizarre vigilante group. These things will most likely not interact. Most likely.
- Comments: A merging of the two Persona series through the lens of the main characters of Kimi no Na wa. Taki and Mitsuha serve as side-character POVs with their respective Persona cast while they also go through their own body-switching issue. Taki and Mitsuha are also affected by the Persona storylines and it's no surprise they gain their own persona and join their respective groups.
- A sequel has been created incorporating elements from Persona 5 Royal: Your [Final] Name (Dead; last updated August 2021)
- A sequel has been created incorporating elements from Persona 5 Royal: Your [Final] Name
Mega Crossover fics
Crossover fics between three or more franchises.
The New Regulars by MisterDrBob
The New Regulars
by MisterDrBob- Recommended by Clato Lawa
- Crossover with: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and associated characters.
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: In which Cafe Leblanc sees a series of odd visitors, leaving Sojiro to wonder what the hell Ren has been up to.
Steal Your Way In by Invoked Ophiuchus
- Trope Page here
- Recommended by Clato Lawa
- Crossover with: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and associated characters, most predominantly Super Mario Bros. and Yoshi's Island
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: In which Joker and the Phantom Thieves are recruited by Master Hand to help expose a criminal among the Smashers.
- Comments: Quite a bit darker than it initially seems. As hilarious as the first chapter is if you know what the calling card is referencing, the subsequent depiction of Yoshi Slowly Slipping Into Evil is played as seriously as any of the Phantom Thieves' targets in the actual game, and it's incredibly well-executed.
Music and Original Songs
Original fan-made music or remixes based on the game.
Ode Imaginations
Ode Imaginations
- Recommended by: Atheneanea
- Synopsis: This youtuber makes amazing palace themes for different Persona characters, including not only the Phantom Thieves, but also themes for characters from other Persona games as well.
Fan Comics
Original fan-created comics based on the game.
Persona 5: Adult Confidants AU by ScruffyTurtles
Persona 5: Adult Confidants AU
by ScruffyTurtles- Trope page here.
- Recommended by: MarekPPP, Loid
- Twitter Link Link to the artists account on Tumblr
- Status: Dead; last updated April 2020
- Synopsis: The Adult Confidant AU is an alternate universe based on Persona 5. It follows adult confidants from the game as if they switched positions with the OG phantom thieves and vice versa, among many other age swaps within Persona 5. (Ex: Sojiro as the protag, Futaba as the caregiver, etc) This is to spin a new tale that is also familiar using the beloved adults from the game, while peering into how they could play as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.
- Comments: Such an original spin to the Persona franchise as it utilizes characters such as Kawakami, Sojiro as well as the other adult confidants and puts them in a situation where they have to interact with each other creating interesting dynamics as well as certain headcanons into their backstory. The author's ideas behind the OG Phantom Thieves being responsible adults is also rather interesting as well and it is highly recommended that you check it out!
Fan Videos
Original fan-created videos based on the IP.
None Yet
None Yet
Fan Games and Mods
These are games made from scratch based on an IP, or mods created by using the game's engine.
None Yet
None Yet
Original Characters
Stories that contain Original characters as part of the cast with major roles in the story, can be platonic or romantic.
The Body Reflects the Heart, the Shadow Reflects the Soul by Raptorclaw
- Trope page here.
- Recommended by AmityDreams, Mitis, UnequalJupiter1
- Crossover with: Persona 3, Persona 4
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: When the Phantom Thieves defeated Maruki and destroyed Mementos, they thought that was the end. When they overcame the EMMA incident, they thought that was the end too. Life just never goes the way you plan, does it? Despite the Phantom Thieves' many victories, the world is once again thrown into chaos when the Outbreak occurs. Following an earthquake under Japan, the barrier between worlds falls apart at the seams and Shadows begin to flood into the real world, starting in Shibuya and then spreading as more Outbreaks are triggered across the entire world. As it turns out, the events of the last three years have accidentally brought the Metaverse a little too close to the real world, and now the two begin to merge. Persona-users are using their powers in broad daylight, Shadows lurk in the darkness around every corner, and if you're not careful, you could even end up finding your own Shadow. What happens then? Depends on whether you control it... or it controls you.
- Pairing(s): Ren Amamiya (P5 Protagonist)/Makoto Niijima, Ryuji Sakamoto/Ann Takamaki, Yu Narukami (P4 Protagonist)/Rise Kujikawa, Kanji Tatsumi/Naoto Shirogane, Takuto Maruki/Rumi
- Tags: Original Character(s), Post-Canon, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
- Comments: I have to say that this is a fun and intriguing fanfic that uses the concept of Shadows and Personas appearing in the real world. While there are OCs, they don't steal the spotlight from the canon characters while remaining relevant to the main plot. Also worth mentioning is that the story will implement the elemental spells from the older Persona games. A fantastic read if you're hoping to find something where the author combines numerous concepts and ideas to continue the Persona series' storyline.
The World is Ours by AristoMuse
- Recommended by Voidwing Dragon, GarthSerca, and transparentanswer
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Shujin Academy is hailed all over Tokyo as one of the best schools to attend. Any who graduate from here is almost guaranteed an accepted college application. The teachers are highly acclaimed, and even an accomplished Olympic medalist as the gym teacher, heading the national winning volleyball team. Or so they all say. It's April 9th, the first week of school in the new year. Kimisawa Airi was beginning to doubt this school was as dignified as they claimed, as she glanced at her bruised classmate with worry. Where did he get them? Who gave them to him? Maybe it was time for her to stop hiding and face the truth; this world was rotten and it needed to change, starting with whoever kept abusing her classmate. With the addition of a new student coming in with a criminal record, this year was bound to be one hell of a roller coaster.
- Pairing(s): Akira Kurusu (P5 Protagonist)/Original Female Character, side Ryuji Sakamoto/Ann Takamaki
- Tags: Explicit, Some Blood, implied and/or referenced sexual content, and Some Teasing
- Comments: Very Highly Recommended - A masterfully written novelization, well over 600,000 words, and just completed Futaba's section of the game. Even with that massive amount, the wording doesn't feel stretched or extensive in any sense; each chapter reads quickly and leaves you anticipating the next. The biggest and most surprising difference, however, is the addition of OC Airi Kimisawa. While the author themselves stated she was initially a self-indulgent character and wouldn't be surprised if she was considered too OP, Airi integrates seamlessly with the rest of the cast; what little cliches she has mellows out as the story picks up.
- Seconded. The character interactions and relationship build up are well done. Normally, original characters had a chance to steal the spotlight of the canon cast too much or does too little to the overall story with no mention or writing how their presence affected the overall plot, but Airi is well fleshed out and integrates well with the cast. While currently dead with no new updates yet, the author is in the process of rewriting some of the early written chapters of the story during late 2022.
- As of Feb 2024, the fic has now been recently revived and continued with a new chapter update.
