'It was definitely interesting': Persona 5: The Phantom X developer was surprised that people outside of Japan were 'cheering' for the Subway Slammer

The Subway Slammer is the first baddie in gacha spinoff Persona 5: The Phantom X. He is also a total clown show—at least in the Western world, anyway. Despite representing Japan's very serious butsukari otoko problem—an ongoing violence against women that usually involves men intentionally bodychecking women in crowded spaces like train stations—his English localised name and dialogue made him absolute meme bait when the game first launched over this way.

The reaction was much different to the one in Japan, Chief Producer Yohsuke Uda tells me. When I asked whether the team thought it was down to cultural differences, he agreed. "There may be some nuances that were lost in translation when we did that," he said. "So it was definitely interesting, or rather surprising, when we went to Anime Expo [in Los Angeles], and when Subway Slammer appeared on the screen, a lot of people were cheering for him."

I do have to wonder whether or not that was the team's first exposure to how heavily clowned upon the Subway Slammer was—I would sure as hell be confused if I were in their shoes. But at the same time, it doesn't seem to bother Uda all too much. "We felt like it also served as a way to shine some light on a serious issue that is unique in Japan. At the same time, it allowed us to show that the issues we show off in Persona are something that actually happens in reality, and it's a serious societal issue.

"Although the way the audience took it was different from what we expected, it was still a positive way where we can let people know this is an issue that's happening in Japan."

I mean, I guess that's the glass-half-full way of looking at it, for sure. It's nice to know that it didn't seem to bother the team too much, and certainly hasn't stopped them from continuing to try and inject more real-world situations into their writing.

Persona 5: The Phantom X has just kicked off its half-anniversary update. It introduces the original game's Justine and Caroline as playable characters, along with a new story and a bunch of gifts to commemorate the occasion.