(Isis): Greetings. I’m Isis.
(Chibi): Hello! I’m Chibi!
(Yin-Yang): Yo! It’s your favorite ninja, Yin-Yang.
(Yume): I’m your lovely fox, Yume.
(Neo): And I’m Neo. Welcome to Project Nitsuj.
(Isis): Nitsuj is in the middle of preparing for his 600th review and gave us this side project that’s very near and dear to his heart.
(Neo): If Nitsuj, hasn’t made it known by now, we here at Project Nitsuj are fans of the Persona games and one of the big selling points of these games is the soundtrack.
(Chibi): The soundtrack of the Persona games always slap and they get you hooked immediately with the opening song. The first song you hear in the game.
(Yin-Yang): The opening has always been used to set the tone for these games. It lets the player know what kind of soundtrack you can expect to hear throughout the game.
(Yume): There’s been a number of Persona games over the years. Each with its own great opening and we’ve listened to them all to pick the best of the best.
(Isis): We’re the AI girls and these are the Top 11 Persona Openings.
#11. Persona
(Yume): The first opening of the Persona games really gives you a rush of emotions when you hear it. We start off loud and cheerful only to transition into mysterious and sinister going into slow and thought-provoking to finally loud and determined before ending on a peaceful note. This opening did a good job summing up what a lot of people think of Persona. It has its problems here and there but there’s no denying a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the game. Underrated song from a game that has faults but delivered a good opening that got you hyped to play the game.
#10. Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
(Yume): An epic opening for what many consider to be the game with the best story in the entire series. This game stands out as it’s the only game to focus on adult characters instead of students and they made the most of it. This opening is unique for two reasons. First off, it’s the only opening that doesn’t have lyrics. This opening just lets the music drive the narrative and lets you try to figure out what’s going on and how everything you see will affect the story. Second, this is where Atlus started to go all out on making these openings stand out. That’s not say the previous openings were bad. They were good, but this is where they went from good to great in my opinion and only got better from here.
#9. Persona Q
(Chibi): The game that gave us the crossover between the casts of Persona 3 and Persona 4. This opening manages to blend the two games together perfectly. The music is upbeat matching the positive energy of Persona 4 while the lyrics are deep and thought-provoking matching the philosophical aspects of Persona 3. Two games who are the opposite of each other but still delivered memorable moments and great characters that we fell in love with and this opening is a celebration of that.
#8. Persona 3 FES
(Chibi): The first remake of Persona 3 gave fans a new opening that’s more fast-paced and got the blood pumping for the game. Those first 15 seconds might be the best build-up to any Persona opening I’ve ever heard. Lotus Juice really delivers on his freestyle rapping which is complimented by Yumi’s singing and the scenes match up perfectly with both of them. The opening uses cutscenes from the game which many would say is lazy on their part, but those cutscenes did show off new and added content to the game to let the player know that they were in for something special and even if you’ve played the original, you were still going to experience something new and special. And boy were they right.
#7. Persona 4
(Neo): While Nitsuj may consider Persona 4 the weakest game between 3,4, and 5, I consider it my favorite out of them and this opening played a huge part in that decision. The aesthetics perfectly encapsulates the early 2000s and does a good job of introducing all of the characters and how the world sees them. It’s a catchy opening that matches up with the theme and atmosphere of the game excellently and gets you excited to play. While Golden’s opening was more chilled this opening matches up better with the game and kept you coming back to here again.
#6. Persona 5 Scramble
(Neo): A spin-off of Persona 5, this opening is just cool. I love how the opening pays homage to the original Persona 5 and then transitions into color when the action starts to show off the characters and the combat you’re going to be doing throughout the game. On top of that, the song is a jam. Showing off Lyn’s vocal skills and the instrumental is great. The violin, the guitar, the piano, this was an addicting song to listen to and got fans excited to play the game months before it came out.
#5. Persona 5: Dancing Star Light
(Yin-Yang): Making rhythm games out of the Persona games may have sounded weird on paper but when you have such a great soundtrack from all these games it makes all the sense in the world. If we had to pick best opening from these games then it would have to be Dancing Star Light. This opening just had everything. A catchy song, great visuals, and just an all-around fun atmosphere to this opening that the other ones fell short of. You can a chance to see everyone’s dancing styles. Akira dancing between the trains and traffic solidifies him as possibly the coolest protagonist in this franchise. There was honestly more effort put into this opening than the entire anime.
#4. Persona 3 Reload
(Yin-Yang): One of the most recent opening in the Persona library. This opening does a good job paying homage and love to the original Persona 3 opening while still being its own thing and delivering a great song that welcomes old and new players. The way the song ends on Burn Your Dread is enough to make any person who has been a long time fan of the Persona series cry.
#3. Persona 5: The Phantom X
(Isis): The newest opening and it’s for a freaking mobile game. But my goodness, do they go all out and give us a great opening. In terms of visual quality, this may just be the best the series has to offer, AND IT’S FOR A MOBILE GAME! I just can’t over how much effort went into making this opening stand out so much. Even though we haven’t played the game or seen any gameplay of it, this opening honestly makes me want to give them all of my money and play this game for hours. With rumors of a global release coming out in the near future you can bet we’re going to be checking this game out and playing it.
#2. Persona 3
(Isis): The original opening of Persona 3. While most fans are familiar with the opening of FES this opening was actually tucked in that game as well. This opening perfectly sums up the themes of Persona 3 but does it in a way that doesn’t sound depressing or empty and tells you to live your life to the fullest without any regrets. Yumi’s voice is powerful throughout the whole song and the graphics feel like something out of movie or music video come to life. At the time this opening was revolutionary. It showed off what the PS2 was capable of doing and remains the best opening to ever be showcased on the system.
And number one. . .
#1. Persona 5
(Isis): This opening. My goodness. I have rewatched this opening so many times and each time I see something new and interesting that grabs my attention.
(Yin-Yang): This opening introduces the characters the perfectly without giving spoilers on what their purpose will be in the story but still making them interesting enough that you can’t wait to meet them.
(Neo): The aesthetics of a red, black, and white world are breathtaking and make the characters stand out more.
(Yume): And can be talk about the figure-skating? That is so classy and beautiful. Even someone who has no interest in figure skating can watch this and appreciate what they’re watching.
(Chibi): What else can we say? It’s just a very stylist opening that keeps your attention from beginning to end. For a lot of people this was their Persona game and this opening made everyone obsessed with the game and discover how great the Persona series is. Because of all this, it’s the best opening in Persona.
(Isis): Well guys, that’s our list.
(Yume): Do you have a favorite opening? Let us know in the comments below.
(Yin-Yang): Be sure to tune in next time for the 600th review. Trust me, it’s going to be a good one.
(Neo): Thanks for reading and we’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.