Like the other games in the Persona series, there are many unanswered questions in Persona 5. Starting with the protagonist Joker trying to find out how he can stay in school despite a power-hungry gym instructor wanting him out, the story eventually leads towards the Phantom Thieves facing a deity who has entered their ranks by a most unexpected means.
Jose, a new character with ties to the game’s lengthy dungeon Mementos, was introduced in the remastered version of Persona 5 that was recently updated and released under the title Persona 5 Royal, adding to the game’s mystique.
Although most of the loose ends of Persona 5 Royal’s story were tied off at the conclusion, fans were left wondering about Jose and his actual identity, leading some to believe that he has some connection to Persona 6 or other upcoming releases. Jose seems to be a curious little guy who wants to know more about others.
To progress through the Mementos dungeon, he tasks the player with gathering a certain number of flowers and stamps. Stamps enable the player to alter Mementos after each combat for more exp, money, or things, while flowers may be sold for a wide variety of stuff. If the player has collected sufficient stamps, Jose will appear at the end of Mementos and challenge them to a boss encounter.
Aside from thanking the player for providing him a fresh experience after he is fought, nothing more is revealed about Jose. In light of this, players are wondering where Jose came from and what his purpose will be in the games to come.
However, in this article, we will go through everything we know about Jose, his shop and what you can get from it, and some speculations about his future. If you are interested in any of that, make sure to keep on reading!
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Who Is Jose In Persona 5 Royal?
The Persona 5 Royal version of Jose introduces a new playable nonplayer character. He barters his skills and goods for public-domain stamps and bouquets of flowers. Jose is a peculiar character since he does not play a major role in the tale, yet he seems to have a deep past unseen by the player.
Jose silently examines the human heart while the Phantom Thieves utilize their Personas to pursue justice. Due to the similarities between Jose’s position in Persona 5 Royal and those of other characters like Sophia in Persona 5 Strikers, it is possible that Atlus plans to utilize him in a future release. In Persona 6, he has the potential to play several significant roles.
First of all, we will talk about Jose’s shop, his appearance and what you can obtain from him. You can read all of that below.
Jose’s Shop In Persona 5 Royal
At the beginning of the game, Jose is nowhere to be seen. You run across him on 5/7 as part of the regular flow of the tale. When you engage in conversation with him, you will not only learn about the many products he sells but also about the several stores he owns. You will need to travel to Mementos in order to meet up with him at a later time or engage in dialogue with him. You will only be able to meet him at that location, and you may make use of his services in the following steps:
- When he makes an appearance, a mark will be placed on the map. His entrance will be heralded by a cutscene, and a marker will be placed on the map to indicate his precise location.
- After you have had a conversation with Jose, he will ask you to get some flowers for him. In return, Jose will build a store where customers may buy products to restore their SP and status problems.
- Additionally, he will want you to assemble a collection of stamps. Look around for stamp podiums hidden among the relics, and when you find one, approach it to get stamps. If you can provide the stamps to him, he will give you permission to edit some parts of Mementos.
After accumulating a wide variety of objects, Jose will provide a large number of helpful goods and services. As you move through the many levels of memories, a greater variety of products will become available for buy. In addition, when you earn a new Mementos route, objects that were previously exhausted will become available again.
You can trade multiple items with Jose. The following is a list of tradable items:
Item Name | Item Type | Item Description | Points |
---|---|---|---|
Black Knife | Material | Material for Electric chair itemization. | 30 |
Black Gun | Material | Material for Electric chair itemization. | 30 |
Black Stone | Material | Material for Electric chair itemization. | 30 |
Black Robe | Material | Material for Electric chair itemization. | 30 |
Blank Card | Material | Material for Electric chair skill card. | 15 |
Forget Vial S | Item | Inflicting Forget on the enemy has a high chance. | 30 |
Forget Vial L | Item | Inflicting Forget on the enemy has a medium chance. | 40 |
Dizzy Vial S | Item | Inflicting Dizzy on the enemy has a high chance. | 30 |
Dizzy Vial L | Item | Inflicting Dizzy on the enemy has a medium chance. | 40 |
Sleep Vial S | Item | Inflicting Sleep on the enemy has a high chance. | 30 |
Sleep Vial L | Item | Inflicting Sleep on the enemy has a medium chance. | 40 |
Fear Vial S | Item | Inflicting Fear on the enemy has a high chance. | 65 |
Fear Vial L | Item | Inflicting Fear on the enemy has a medium chance. | 70 |
Brainwash Vial S | Item | Inflicting Brainwash on the enemy has a high chance. | 70 |
Brainwash Vial L | Item | Inflicting Brainwash on the enemy has a medium chance. | 90 |
Confuse Vial S | Item | Inflicting Confuse on the enemy has a high chance. | 65 |
Confuse Vial L | Item | Inflicting Confuse on the enemy has a medium chance. | 70 |
Despair Vial S | Item | Inflicting Despair on the enemy has a high chance. | 100 |
Soul Drop | SP | An ally gets 10 of SP restored. | 15 |
Snuff Soul | SP | An ally gets 50 of SP restored. | 75 |
Energy Kit S | SP | Allies get 20% of SP restored in the safe room. | 80 |
Energy Kit L | SP | Allies get 40% of SP restored in the safe room. | 210 |
Rasetsu’s Tag | Battle | Your allies get increased attack for next 3 turns. | 70 |
Kongou’s Tag | Battle | Your allies get increased defense for next 3 turns. | 70 |
Idaten’s Tag | Battle | Your allies get increased agility for next 3 turns. | 70 |
Strength Incense | Incense | Gives a one-point increase to the locked-down persona’s strength. | 80 |
Magic Incense | Incense | Gives a one-point increase to the locked-down persona’s magic. | 80 |
Endurance Incense | Incense | Gives a one-point increase to the locked-down persona’s endurance. | 80 |
Agility Incense | Incense | Gives a one-point increase to the locked-down persona’s agility. | 80 |
Luck Incense | Incense | Gives a one-point increase to the locked-down persona’s luck. | 80 |
Additional Will Seed | Will Seed | Could be bought in case you missed acquiring all three comparable Will Seed in a cognitive palace. | 400 |
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What Can You Get By Collecting Stamps For Jose In Persona 5 Royal?
In addition to products sold, Cognition upgrades may be purchased with your stamp collection. On 6/4, Jose will give you a stamp book to keep your collection organized.
These are obtained through keepsakes and traded for points, which in turn may be used to trigger bonuses like additional currency, experience, or enhanced item benefits. Make a choice on which impact to amplify and assign points accordingly. To simplify your research, figure out how to best distribute the points. To finalize your choice, click “Ask for Change.”
Delegated points can be redeemed using flowers if desired. Remember that the cost of flowers will increase as the number of assigned points you reset increases.
Next, we will talk about what kind of character Jose is, and what to expect of him in the future for the Persona series.
What Do We Know About Jose In Persona 5 Royal?
Jose is a peculiar character since he is not essential to the tale, but he seems to have a deep past unseen by the player. Jose silently examines the human heart whilst Phantom Thieves utilize their Personas to pursue justice.
Due to the similarities between Jose’s position in Persona 5 Royal and those of other characters like Sophia in Persona 5 Strikers, it is possible that Atlus plans to utilize him in a future release. In Persona 6, he has the potential to play several significant roles.
Following are some solid speculations and things about Jose you should know about.
1. Jose In Persona 5 Royal:
There are signs that Jose is working for someone, but for the most part of Persona 5 Royal, his function remains unchanged. He introduces himself as a trader from Mementos and gives Joker the stone that permits Showtimes, and then he just accompanies the Phantom Thieves as they progressively descend into the depths of the planet in search of more and more flowers.
In the 3rd semester of Persona 5 Royal, the plot revolves around Jose. Jose vents his anger at his inability to comprehend human nature, and it is only with the help of the Phantom Bandits that he is able to go past this obstacle.
The indications in Persona 5 Royal, however, suggest that Jose may have more secrets than he initially lets on. If players are able to beat Jose in the third semester, he will make reference to his master, suggesting that numerous supernatural beings are keeping tabs on humans.
Fans of the series’ earlier entries may recall that the Shadow realm is populated by various supernatural creatures, such as Philemon, that have direct or indirect effects on mankind, although the series’ later entries have tended to focus on more grounded storytelling rather than on these entities. This lends weight to Jose’s comments.
Overall, Jose’s character journey is somewhat shallow and only serves to provide hints at the real breadth of the Persona canon. Whatever it is he is doing, his goal to study humans seems to be only the beginning.
Even while Jose probably will not appear in another Atlus game in the same capacity, he might end up there if the Persona series continues. By giving Jose a more active role that makes greater use of his status as a supernatural creature, Atlus could make him feel like his own character while also tying Persona 5 Royal into Persona 6.
2. Hinting At Return Of Philemon:
Jose is studying humans because he made a “promise” to a “particular individual,” which is one of the few details we know about him. Fans speculate that this individual is Philemon, the first game’s commander of the shadowy Velvet Room.
Philemon appeared in the initial Persona game and both halves of the Persona 2 duology, where he and his helper Igor aided the protagonists in developing their abilities. Although he has not made any more physical appearances, Philemon’s insignia, a blue butterfly, may be seen in subsequent Persona games, suggesting that he is still keeping a watchful eye on the protagonists.
There is hope that Jose may be used to bring back Philemon in upcoming games like Persona 6. Inspired by Carl Jung’s “wise guide” archetype, Philemon is a fictional character. The Child archetype, which is associated with wonder, naivete, and openness to new experiences, may also apply to Jose.
Philemon, who is concerned about and helpful to humanity, might very well be the one who charged Jose with conducting research on the species. As he has been temporarily sidelined from direct human interaction for a number of games, he may be grooming Jose to take his place. Or, in place of Igor, Jose may play an apprentice or helper role to Philemon in the upcoming game.
3. Igor’s Replacement:
If Philemon is the individual for whom Jose vowed to educate himself about mankind, then this may be done with the intention of grooming him to succeed Igor. Instead of being a real mentor to Joker, “Igor” in Persona 5 revealed out to be Yaldabaoth, the original ultimate antagonist who aspired to dominate mankind and provided Joker bad advise.
The actual Igor was seen to be still alive towards the end of the game, although he may decide to retire after what he is been through. Since the inspiration for the “fake Igor” narrative came from the death of Igor’s Japanese VA, Isamu Tanonaka in 2010, this would be particularly moving. Young and ambitious Jose could easily step into Igor’s shoes and manage the Velvet Room for the upcoming games.
Igor and Philemon are the ones in charge of the Velvet Room due to their immense strength and their strong desire to assist humankind. In addition to his eagerness to discover further about Joker as well as the Phantom Thieves, Jose demonstrates an impressive amount of power during the optional boss fight that he participates in. Even though Jose does not possess access to a Persona, he is nevertheless able to do a significant amount of physical and Almighty damage thanks to his reliable automobile and some “special pyrotechnics.”
In addition to this, he is able to confuse any and all members of the party, as well as attack utilizing any and all of the game’s elements. The fight against Jose is widely considered to be one of the most challenging boss battles in Persona 5 Royal. In fact, the background music for this fight is the emotionally charged Persona song “Rivers in the Desert.” This performance is undeniably deserving of a spot in the future Velvet Room leadership.
4. Velvet Room Attendant:
Jose may be among the Attendees who aid the protagonist if he is neither Igor’s successor or Velvet Room leader. Since Persona 2, attendants have helped Philemon and Igor fuse and strengthen Personas. Persona 5’s twin attendants, Caroline & Justine, become Lavenza to accompany Joker through Royal’s new third semester.
Jose may have been Joker’s adversary Goro Akechi’s attendant. Jose has light hair and yellow eyes like Velvet Room staff, but he does not have a Frankenstein name, which may disprove this notion.
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Jose In Persona 6:
The Persona series has a tradition of providing players with a paranormal companion that assists them in navigating the world of Persona, and it is possible that Jose may serve that role for the heroes of Persona 6.
It is possible that by the time the next game comes out, Jose will have acquired his own Persona, giving him the ability to instruct the human characters on how to use theirs. If Jose is still operating for some other mystery creature, he may give the protagonists assignments and objectives to complete, urging them to aid Jose’s master while still pursuing their own aims at the same time.
There is also the possibility that Jose will have a villainous role in Persona 6. Persona games typically build up to confrontations with divine figures from the Persona world, and it is likely that Persona 6 will follow this pattern. However, the game’s hidden antagonist may appear at various points throughout the experience rather than being revealed at the conclusion of the story.
It is possible that Jose is on good terms with the Phantom Thieves, but he might also be working for an organization that is just biding its time and gaining insight into human nature with Jose’s help in preparation for an attack. Even if he does so with the best of intentions, the villain in the subsequent Persona game may play Jose as a chess piece in order to test or put the cast of Persona 6 in risk at various points during the game.
Active, influential roles such as these would contribute long way towards making Jose feel extra fleshed out and distinguishable in Persona 6, but regardless of how significantly Atlus evolves him, the game’s connection to Persona 5 Royal should be considered. This is the case even if Atlus gives Jose a role similar to that of the Royal. Atlus would create an unbreakable bond between them if he were to participate.
Persona 6 might profit from a discreet link with Persona 5, but leaning too much on Persona 5 Royal would hinder Persona 6’s capacity to stand on its own as a separate experience from Persona 5 Royal. In order for Persona 6 to be an autonomous game in the same vein as the majority of the mainstream Persona games, the game has to reimagine Jose while only tangentially referencing his prior role.
Conclusion
It is hard to predict if Jose will be a significant player in Persona 6 as a whole. His inclusion in Persona 5 Royal seems to be setting the stage for a future tale, but whether or not he will be at the core of that storyline is unclear, since doing so may compromise the unique identity of Persona 6.
Atlus may want to highlight Jose’s master above Jose himself. Persona 6 might employ Jose’s master without depending too heavily on Royal’s success because the character has a minor part in that game.
Until Persona 6 or any future titles are published, it is doubtful that fans will learn any more about Jose. Despite the ongoing celebration of the series’ 25th anniversary, Atlus has acknowledged that Persona 6 is in production, although it has yet to be publicly disclosed.
Fans are anticipating the release of Persona 6 or any Persona 5 spinoff in the hopes that it would finally shed light on the main secret of Persona 5 Royal and unveil Jose’s real nature.