Persona 5’s Biggest Piece of Cut Content Would’ve Been a Slam Dunk for The Phantom X

Persona 5: The Phantom X is something of an interesting video game, for a number of reasons. It’s a gacha spin on the traditional Atlus Megaten formula, taking place in the same universe as the original Persona 5, though with a number of interdimensional shenanigans that facilitate unique gameplay and narrative scenarios.

More than anything, this multiverse premise allows Persona 5: The Phantom X to serve up a number of crowd-pleasing mechanics and features, the most notable of which being the addition of essential characters from the Persona 5 base game. Unfortunately, these heroes are only accessible via the game’s gacha systems: players can “pull” for new team members by using in-game currency, which can, of course, be purchased with real-world tender. The best team members are quite difficult to pull, and many of them are characters from Persona 5, such as Ann Takamaki and Morgana. Gacha mechanics aside, this feature offers decent fan service for Persona fans, and it opens the door to at least one obvious opportunity, one that merges cut content with audience desires.

Persona 5: The Phantom X Would Be the Perfect Venue for Hifumi Togo’s Phantom Thief

Hifumi Togo Was Meant To Be a Playable Character in Persona 5—Sort Of

Hifumi Togo, known for being a Shogi prodigy and one of the protagonist’s many potential love interests in Persona 5, was actually born from a scrapped Phantom Thief character. Not much is known about this omitted party member, but she was originally intended to serve as a Strategist. Her role was eventually absorbed by Makoto Niijima, who is more or less the second-in-command to Joker. After Atlus decided to cut this character from the game, her character model was repurposed for Togo.

This bit of trivia has led to the common misconception that Hifumi Togo herself was originally planned to be a playable character, and part of the Phantom Thieves. At least part of this misconception can be attributed to wishful thinking: Togo is a bit of a fan-favorite and a popular love interest for many players, so the notion that she could be part of the core team is an attractive one. But there’s a case to be made that Togo could appear as a summonable Persona 5 character in The Phantom X, and it goes beyond merely satisfying the desires of Persona fans. Indeed, Togo would be a particularly fitting addition to the Phantom Thieves, and The Phantom X could be the perfect stage upon which she could make her debut.

Why Hifumi Togo Would Be a Great Fit for Persona 5: The Phantom X

Hifumi Togo’s story is defined by her Shogi career: she is a champion at the game, but it’s revealed that her mother has actually been fixing her matches, orchestrating her success from behind the scenes. Togo has no knowledge of this initially, and her skills themselves are not in question, so she’s understandably upset when she learns of her mother’s duplicity. Thus, her journey is one of redemption, self-discovery, and self-actualization, as she breaks free of her mother’s manipulative ways and finds satisfaction in real, fair challenges.

Togo’s pursuit of her Shogi dream is an easy fit for Persona 5: The Phantom X’s story of desire and hope. Furthermore, her undeniable skill at the game would make her well-suited for a Strategist role, as she may even find the real field of battle similar to her conquests in Shogi. These elements are ripe for exploration, and The Phantom X’s premise would be a perfect way to start some narrative spelunking.