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Persona fans regularly argue over the names of each main character, with games and comics often using different names for the same characters.
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Thankfully, Metaphor: ReFantazio fans won't be getting into any fights, as the first chapter of the game's comic also refers to the protagonist as Will.
Metaphor: ReFantazio and Persona developer Atlus has a particularly strange formula when it comes to designing the protagonists of their games. There's almost always a pre-designed main character that you can't create or customize in any way, but you can name it whatever you want, allowing for some customization.
relevant
2025 is the year the 2024 game concludes.
The year may be over, but we still need to say hello to this game.
In fact, it is this fact that makes getting standard names for these characters somewhat complicated. Persona games in particular are notorious for causing confusion with character names. Atlus uses one name in the games and refers to them by a different name in the comics. For example, Persona 5's Joker is known as Ren Amamiya in the game, but Akira Kurusu in the manga.
The same goes for other Persona comics. The protagonist of Persona 3 (Makoto Yuki) is referred to as Minato Arisato, and the protagonist of Persona 4 (Yu Narukami) is referred to as Soji Seta in their respective manga. Thankfully, Metaphor: ReFantazio's comic seems to buck this trend, as both the game and the comic match up.
Trope: ReFantazio's main character name confirmed
Sorry, John, all believers.
Metaphor: In the first chapter of the ReFantazio manga, the protagonist is introduced to several members of the game's cast, although the events of the manga differ significantly from those of the game. In one particular panel shared by Reddit user JinMQ on the gaming subreddit earlier today, he introduced himself to Strohl as Will, which is also the default name for the game itself.
This means we won't have a Ren/Akira or Makoto/Minato fandom war regarding Metaphor. Considering the main characters have different names almost every time, it's a little strange that the two agree this time. 'Will' can have multiple meanings, so it may depend on the game's theme, but I won't go into more detail about this to avoid spoiling story beats.
I hope to see more of Will in the future. There is currently only one game, but game director Katsura Hashino said in a recent interview that he hopes it will “become a series someday.” Considering how critically acclaimed Metaphor was for Atlus, it would certainly be foolish not to grant Hashino's wish.
In Metaphor: ReFantazio, a unique fantasy world created by the creators of Persona 3, 4, and 5, the protagonist sets out on a journey with his fairy companion Gallica to lift the curse of the kingdom's lost prince.
Take control of your destiny, face your fears, and awaken the power of the magical archetypes that lie dormant within your mind. Awakening an archetype unlocks the power to channel and combine the abilities of your unique class class. Strengthen your bonds and form a party to take down powerful enemies and discover the true nature of the kingdom.
