Persona 5: The Phantom X is breaking tradition by adding a 75-year-old Persona user. Here’s why it works, and what else to expect in the upcoming update.
Vino Joins the Fight — And She’s Old Enough to Be Your Grandma
Persona has always been about stylish teens solving supernatural mysteries with psychological Pokémon… but Persona 5: The Phantom X just took a hard left and added something totally unexpected: a 75-year-old Persona user.
Meet Chizuko “Vino” Nagao, the latest wildcard in the game’s ever-expanding Phantom Thief lineup. She’s sassy, nuclear-powered, and old enough to qualify for a senior discount at Leblanc.
Yeah. This ain’t your typical student council arc.
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The Update Rundown: Vino and Queen Tag In
Coming in hot with the upcoming 1.3 update (dropping August 3 @ 5am PT), we’re getting two big additions:
- Vino (4-star): A Phantom Idol with Nuclear damage, classified as a Saboteur. Uses Persona Ampelos.
- Makoto “Queen” Nijima (5-star): Returning from the OG Persona 5 lineup, she brings her motorcycle Persona Johanna and assassin-style Nuclear chaos.
Both will be showcased during the official livestream—so if you want to see grandma drop a Metaverse nuke, you might wanna tune in.
But Wait, an Elderly Persona User? Is That Even Lore-Friendly?
Okay, let’s talk canon.
Persona users have always skewed young. High schoolers, college kids, the occasional edgy adult. The oldest so far? Zenkichi Hasegawa from Strikers, clocking in at a spry 40-something.
Vino’s 75. That’s like, “fought in two wars and still has VHS tapes” old.
And yeah, it’s weird… until you remember the twist: she’s a Phantom Idol — a Metaverse-created version of a real person, based on cognition. Meaning:
- Her real-world self has no idea what’s going on
- She can appear younger, hotter, and more battle-ready in the Metaverse
- She’s basically like a persona version of an NPC with benefits
So no, this isn’t canon-breaking. It’s Persona doing what it does best: messing with identity, reality, and metaphysical weirdness.
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Fans Are Mad… But Not About Grandma
Let’s not ignore the elephant in the Velvet Room: Phantom X is getting review-bombed harder than a Yaldabaoth boss fight.
- Players are mad about unequal rewards between the global and Chinese versions.
- Add to that some ongoing salt about the game’s gacha-heavy design, and yeah — the Phantom Thief vibes are being replaced by wallet paranoia.
Still, introducing Vino is at least a bold (and kinda cool?) move. Persona has always played with social taboos and character expectations. Now it’s playing with retirement plans.
What This Means for the Series
Look, if a 75-year-old Phantom Idol can nuke shadows and help change hearts, literally anything is possible in this universe.
This might not mean we’re getting a Persona 6 with a senior citizen main cast, but it does crack open the door for more non-traditional characters in the franchise.
Also? It shows Phantom X is willing to take some big swings to stay fresh. And in gacha games, where burnout hits fast, that’s a smart play.
Here’s the Loot Drop:
- Vino (75 y/o) joins as a 4-star Saboteur using Nuclear attacks.
- Makoto “Queen” Nijima returns as a 5-star Assassin-type.
- Both arrive in the August 3 livestream (5am PT) for version 1.3.
- Vino is a Phantom Idol, not a real-world combat grandma.
- Players are still mad about reward disparities and gacha pressure.
Persona’s Got a Grandma with a Persona — and It Kinda Slaps
It’s a weird flex, but you know what? We’re here for it. If Persona’s gonna stay relevant in the mobile space, it’s gotta shake up the formula. And nothing says shake-up like turning a 75-year-old into a Metaverse battle queen.
Whether this update smooths over fan frustrations or fuels more chaos is up in the air. But one thing’s clear: the Metaverse just got a lot more seasoned.
And honestly? We hope she hits like a truck.
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