Joker

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Lore & Background

Joker is a playable character in the 2018 crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, being released as paid downloadable content in April 2019. He is the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts and the only member with access to the Velvet Room, as he holds the 'Wild Card', an ability that allows him to hold more than one Persona and fuse them together to create more powerful ones. Joker's primary persona is Arsene, and he fights with knives and handguns in addition to his Persona powers. His ultimate persona is Satanael, the Gnostic equivalent of the devil and a deity who can harness the power of the seven deadly sins. Upon his announcement as a downloadable content character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the game's director Masahiro Sakurai stated that Joker was emblematic of the approach that he wanted to take with its DLC, adding that he wanted characters that were 'unique', 'different', and 'fun' to use within the Super Smash Bros. environment.

In Their Own Story

Joker was introduced in Persona 5 as the game's main playable character. He is a second-year high school student who is charged with assault by Masayoshi Shido, an influential politician in the cabinet of Japan, after witnessing him harassing a female subordinate. After Shido falls and injures his head due to being intoxicated, he places the blame on Joker and forces his subordinate to testify to police that Joker pushed him. At the court hearing, Joker is told he must serve a one-year probation and transfers to Shujin Academy, a school in Tokyo which will accept him with his current criminal record. Needing a place to stay while there, Sojiro Sakura, an acquaintance of Joker's parents, offers to house him at his café Leblanc. During his time at Shujin, he and other students awaken to their supernatural powers known as the persona and become a group of vigilantes known as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

Reader's Guide

Joker is a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, released as paid downloadable content in April 2019. He is known for his unique 'Persona' mechanic, where he can summon different personas to alter his moveset properties or provide specific buffs. His neutral special allows him to summon Arsène, who performs a powerful projectile attack. Side special lets him dash forward with a gun, while up special summons a persona to fly upward and descend with a heavy impact. Down special enables him to call upon a persona for a defensive guard that reflects projectiles or counters attacks. His Final Smash, 'All-Out Attack,' summons his entire team of Phantom Thieves to unleash a coordinated assault on opponents. Joker is agile but relatively lightweight, requiring precise spacing and timing to utilize his summoning mechanics effectively.

Did You Know?

• Joker was released as paid downloadable content for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in April 2019.
• His primary persona is Arsène, and his ultimate persona is Satanael, the Gnostic equivalent of the devil.
• In the Persona 5 canon, Joker's initial Persona has always been Arsène; there is no official source indicating Mephistopheles was ever considered.
• He is voiced in Japanese by Jun Fukuyama and in English by Xander Mobus.
• Joker's design was likened to a black panther by artist Shigenori Soejima, contrasting with the protagonist of Persona 4, Yu Narukami, who was designed around the image of a loyal and sincere dog.