This article contains story spoilers for Persona 5 Tactica.Persona 5 Tacticafollows through on many of the themes found in the originalPersona 5experience. From rebelling against injustice to standing firm in their beliefs, the Phantom Thieves continue to fight against corruption, joined this time by two new characters: Erina and Toshiro. Much like otherPersonaspin-offs, these new faces bear great significance toPersona 5 Tactica’s overarching plot, working to propel its narrative forward.
Both Erina and Toshiro are introduced quite early on inTactica’s story. The game’s first Kingdom, a European-inspired world ruled by the hands of Marie, is where the Phantom Thieves find themselves first whisked away to; Erina, a capable combatant and leader of the Rebel Corps, helps Joker and Morgana as they work to reunite the thieves who have been brainwashed by Marie’s hand. During this process, Erina and Joker come acrossToshiro Kasukabe, a Diet member and candidate for Japan’s Prime Minister, who has found himself imprisoned.
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Erina and Toshiro’s Connections to Persona 5 Tactica’s Story
While Erina has existed in this strange new world for as long as she can remember, Toshiro and the thieves are unsure of how or why they were transported here. Toshiro’s selective amnesia makes it difficult for him to remember certain details of his past, though he recognizes his role as a politician, a detail corroborated by Morgana as having been mentioned on the TV in Leblanc before the group was transported to Marie’s Kingdom. Though Toshiro entered this Kingdom separate from the thieves, both he and them originate from the “real world” ofPersona 5’s Tokyo.
Details of Marie come to light towards the end of the first Kingdom, as the tyrant’s ultimate aim is a grand wedding with Toshiro by her side. A projection of his past helps Toshiro to remember his connection with her; in the real world, Marie is his wife, a marriage born out of convenience to appease the political and financial power of herself and Toshiro’s father. Upon defeating Marie, the group seeks to return home, though they find themselves in a world inspired by imperialist Japan, ruled by the watchful eyes of its ruler Yoshiki with Erina in tow despite having seemingly fulfilled her goals as the Rebel Corps leader.
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How Toshiro’s Past Influences Persona 5 Tactica’s Kingdoms
It becomes clear at this point in the story thatTactica’s Kingdomsare born from Toshiro’s traumas, though Erina’s significance in the matter has yet to come to light. The thieves challenge Toshiro’s father Yoshiki, a ruler who abuses his subjects under the guise of love; taking on the form of the Buddha, his facade quickly slips into anger once confronted in battle. Toshiro becomes more and more confident in learning to fight against his abuse, though this comes to a head once Yuki, another character introduced in this Kingdom, is revealed to be his ill mother who died when he was young.
Yoshiki blames his son for Yuki’s death; at a young age, Toshiro snuck Yuki out of the hospital for a day at the amusement park, from which she collapsed and passed away shortly after. The abuse inflicted from his father and the misguided belief that he caused his mother’s death causes Toshiro to nearly break down, beforeFutabareassures him that it isn’t his fault, and that his positive cognition of Yuki proves his true belief and memory that his mother loved and appreciated him and their outing together. The thieves defeat Yoshiki and move ontoTactica’s third Kingdom, leaving Erina contemplative of who exactly she is.
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How Persona 5 Tactica’s Erina Takes Form
The third Kingdom comes in the form of Toshiro’s high school, ruled by Nakabachi, a former teacher and vice principal of the school who had been extorting and blackmailing students. Toshiro and the thieves work to obtain keys in order to gain access to Nakabachi’s location; these keys are comprised of four objects that help Toshiro recall his past. It is revealed that, having been student council president, Toshiro and an upperclassman by the name of Eri Natsuhara worked together to listen to students' problems, with Eri’s adamant view on fighting against injustice being a driving force in the two’s relationship. Eri bears an uncanny resemblance to Erina, asthe Phantom Thievesnote that they must be connected.
Standing Up Against Nakabachi
Once the team confronts Nakabachi, the fate of Eri Natsuhara is made known; Toshiro, Eri, and the student body of their high schoolstood up to Nakabachiin the past, from which he became recognized for his crimes. This resulted in intense heckling, with some students slinging unsubstantiated claims, driving Nakabachi to dramatic action; showing up at a train station while Eri and Toshiro stood waiting, Nakabachi shoved her onto the tracks. This drastically disfigured Eri, who lost both a leg and an eye in the process, leaving criminal punishment for Nakabachi and the students who took advantage of the situation.
In turn, the students used Toshiro as a scapegoat, blaming him for what happened, resulting in his intense aversion to standing up against corruption and authority out of fear of potential repercussions. The conflicting nature of his feelings on the matter is shown through the Kingdom’s true ruler, Toshiro’s Shadow, who places blame on Eri and her overwhelming desire to dive headfirst into fighting against injustice. As Toshiro confronts himself, Erinatransforms into his Persona"Ernesto," leaving the thieves stunned. Together, Toshiro and the team fight against his Shadow and a malformed version of Eri who places the blame back onto Toshiro, demonstrating the conflicting ways his cognition renders the situation.
Erina’s Identity
In truePersonafashion, the final, final boss ofTacticaappears: a god by the name of Salmael, who believes peace should reside above all else. TheVelvet Room’s Lavenzashows up to expose and explain more about the situation; Salmael was using Toshiro’s cognition as a way to stamp out any lingering signs of rebellion that he held in attempts to make him completely complacent. This lingering form of rebellion in his heart is Erina herself, who can’t quite be defined as a cognitive being, Shadow, or Persona, but rather a sort of mix between all three. Erina takes on the appearance of Eri given the role she played in Toshiro’s past, serving as a reminder of the importance of fighting for what’s good.
Tactica’s fourth and final Kingdom is mostly a rehash of previous bosses, with Toshiro as a fourth member tothe player’s party setup in combat. Once Salmael is defeated, Toshiro and the team must say goodbye to Erina, who, in aKingdom Hearts-style turn of events, returns to her place in Toshiro’s heart. The impact Erina and the thieves have on Toshiro allows him to return to Tokyo with a new mindset; exposing his father and wife’s crimes in exploiting others to put him in a place of political power, he addresses his own complacency in the matter and turns over a new leaf, working to become a politician he can be proud of.
