Persona 4 Revival, a remaster of 2008’s Persona 4, will officially be making some changes so the game better reflects modern values and beliefs. Specifically, companion Yosuke will have some of his dialogue altered to remove comments widely interpreted as homophobic and misogynistic.
As shared by Kazuhisa Wada, Persona Team General Producer, in a new interview with Anime Corner, not much is changing about the original story, but dialogue tweaks have proved essential.
‘[Yosuke is] a little bit insensitive in terms of how he treats outsiders sometimes,’ Wada said. ‘So we wanted to lighten that up and make it a little bit more fitting for the world we live in now.’
Persona 4 Revival changes – quick links
What’s changing in Persona 4 Revival
As noted by fans, recent trailers have revealed some of the adjustments made already. In one particular snippet, Yosuke’s dialogue has been altered from referencing someone ‘good with their hands’ to now simply stating they’re someone who’d be ‘good at that’.
It’s likely there will also be changes to dialogue relating to women, as Yosuke was portrayed as fairly lascivious and judgemental in the original game, as well as changes to a particular scene where he expresses fear about a character who is questioning his sexuality.
Since Persona 4, Yosuke’s character has gone through a redemption arc, with subsequent appearances seeing him apologise for his behaviour and reflect on his growth since. While these moments help players to see Yosuke in a new light, there is an awkwardness to his original depiction that will likely be interpreted more harshly in the modern era, where everyone has learned to be more accepting of difference.
By rounding off some of Yosuke’s sharper edges, the game will present a more palatable version of the character that won’t immediately off-side players. That may come at the cost of future growth and understanding of Yosuke’s character, but per Wada, the change is necessary to create a more enjoyable and ‘fitting’ experience.
Atlus is leading the charge for more considerate remakes and remaster
Notably, this isn’t the first time developer Atlus and its P-Studio branch have made significant changes in its delivery of remakes and remasters. When the team released its remake of Persona 3 in 2024, it also amended a piece of dialogue that featured elements of ‘trans panic’ about a transgender woman the characters meet on a beach.
Efforts to modernise the Persona series in this manner are particularly notable. They reveal what a good remaster or remake should be: not only a visual overhaul, but an upgrade that takes into account modern values, with worthy tweaks that update and refresh gameplay.
Over the last few decades, we’ve seen significant cultural change around the world, with a growing understanding about individual identity, diversity and acceptance. It would be ignorant to say we’re all the way there but in the mainstream, attitudes around difference are changing for the better.
All media has a responsibility to depict diversity with understanding and tact, and it’s great to see Atlus and P-Studio considering the impact of their stories in modern remakes.
The past is something to learn from, and these changes make clear that we’ve come further, as a more cohesive society, over the last two decades. They also reveal that games don’t need to be beholden to their history. A remaster or remake is a chance to revisit and revive what worked, and to consider everything that should remain behind.
