Persona 5 Tactica brings back the Phantom Thieves into another mission in the Metaverse. But this time, things are different as there are now Kingdoms ruled by royalties who are as twisted as the ones they have met before. They also meet two unexpected allies as they try to make sense of the world’s existence, as well as find a way back home.
A brief summary of Persona 5 Tactica’s story
The events in Tactica happen a year after the story of the first Persona 5 game concluded. The gang are back in Leblanc once again to meet up before school starts again and they have to part ways. A mysterious door then appears and whisks them into another world, and although it’s still the Metaverse, things work differently.
In this world, they meet Erina, a mysterious girl who leads a rebellion against the oppressive ruler known as Lady Marie. They also meet Toshiro Kasukabe, a representative in the real world who was reported missing. Not long after, the Phantom Thieves and the rebels formed an alliance while they try to figure out why Erina and Toshiro are in this world, why this world exists, and how they can get back home.
After fighting many battles, they finally overthrow the ruler of the land, but just as they find what seems to be their exit, they get transported to a different world once more. This happens twice, facing against Lord Kasukabe and Nakabachi in each world, both of which they managed to defeat in the end.
Throughout this journey, they slowly piece together the details and bring clarity to the mystery. They figured out that this world was made from Toshiro’s cognition, with the twisted rulers born from Toshiro’s perception of some of the people that have negatively impacted his life. It is also later revealed that Erina is also a materialization of Toshiro’s cry for hope and rebellion and she is based from his equally strong-willed friend Eri, a person who he almost lost in an incident.
Not long after this realization, the gang are confronted by none other than Toshiro’s evil self who is pushing Toshiro to give in to despair by snuffing out every little hope of rebellion he has in his heart. Toshiro did not relent, which caused him to awaken his Persona, Ernesto, who is an amalgamation of both Toshiro and Erina’s will to rebel.
Persona 5 Tactica Ending
After defeating Evil Toshiro, the mastermind of it all and the creator of this Metaverse, Salmael, revealed itself and urged Toshiro to give up in order to maintain peace. Despite every threat, blockade and enemy thrown at the rebels, the Phantom Thieves, Toshiro, and Erina managed to reach Salmael to confront the being. After a long and exhausting fight, the gang managed to finally defeat and destroy Salmael.
With the creator of the world destroyed, the Phantom Thieves then hurry back into the Velvet Train to get to safety. Erina knew that she would not be able to go back with them into the real world, so she said her farewells to the Phantom Thieves and to Toshiro before the entire Metaverse fades away.
The gang found themselves back in the real Leblanc, but without Toshiro as he entered the Metaverse from a different place. They then decide to wait and tune in to the news for any updates about the representative.
On Toshiro’s side, he finally decided to stand up for himself after finding the resolve to do so. During a press conference which was supposedly held to explain Toshiro’s disappearance, Toshiro publicly announced that he is cancelling his wedding with his fiancée, plus he also indicted his father for the crimes he committed.
After a few days, the gang met up once again in Leblanc and still haven’t met with Toshiro, but they have already learned about what he had done. The shop then receives a phone call from Toshiro himself who updates them about his current status and his plans of starting over from scratch. They then wished him good luck and hoped that they would meet each other again once everything has settled.
Persona 5 Tactica Post Credits Scene
After the credits stop rolling, a phone screen appeared with messages from anonymous people talking about Toshiro and the controversy surrounding him. The messages and replies then started piling up, beginning with mostly negative comments, with some comments telling some good things about him. An image of Toshiro helping an elderly couple then appeared on the screen as it pans out.
It was then later revealed that the owner of the phone is Eri who has been taking photos of Toshiro from a distance to help him regain a positive image for himself. With the help of her crutches, she then approached Toshiro who then turned around and saw his friend who he hasn’t seen for a long while.
The Future of the Persona 5 Franchise
Persona 5 Tactica may be the last that we see the Phantom Thieves in the main continuity of the franchise. Though there hasn’t been any full confirmation from Atlus if the next game will be “Persona 6”, we’ll most likely see the gang again only in The Phantom X spin-off game and in game collabs – something that they have already done multiple times in the past few years.
There is a line at the ending scene in Leblanc where players could choose to whether say if you want to “pass the baton” soon or keep pushing, to which Morgana replies that he would prefer they get a half a year to themselves first before going on another adventure.
There’s also this conversation between Toshiro and Morgana right after defeating Salmael:
So who knows? Maybe if Tactica turns out to be a big enough hit, then we might get another dive with the Phantom Thieves into another part of the Metaverse.