Atlus Censors Classic Demon Designs For China-Exclusive Gacha Game ‘Persona 5: The Phantom X’
Persona 5: The Phantom X appears to be censored in China, removing some gory and sexual elements of the game’s demons and shadows.
While the game is being developed by Black Wings Game Studio and Perfect World, while Sega and Atlus supervise its development. If the information revealed by the datamine is to be believed, Atlus may have had the final say regarding the Chinese release’s censorship.
Persona 5: The Phantom X launched its”Infiltration Test” on March 29th, debuting in China on PC and Android devices. Regardless, fans outside of China have been doing some datamining — uncovering more details that will give players an idea about what to expect.
One of these was Twitter user @wudabed, who discovered that several of the series’ iconic monsters had been censored. They initially noticed Hell Biker’s skull head had been covered by mask and helmet with a skull motif. “THEY MURDERED HIM” the user bemoaned.
In the following post, @wudabed shared an Imgur album of other character renders pulled from the game, and more censorship revealed. The list is as follows, with a link to the Megami Tensei Fandom wiki at the end of each entry.
[Editor’s note: Some Fandom entries are not safe for work. Viewer discretion is advised.]
- Succubus has a black bodysuit under her leotard. (Wiki)
- Bugbear is no longer covered in blood, nor has exposed stitching revealing it to be full of skulls. (Wiki)
- Incubus‘ infamous “horn” on its crotch has been removed, and it’s wearing black shorts. (Wiki)
- Mandrake has more leaves covering its (nippleless) breasts. (Wiki)
- Lamia is wearing an almost sheer top, while previously her breasts were only covered by her hair, or not at all. (Wiki)
- Limim’s open crop top has an identical, full-length, buttoned up shirt underneath. (Wiki)
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As contradictory as it may sound, the censorship is both surprising and expected. In September 2021, then-new regulations for video game developers were shared to the wider internet.
Such forbidden content included becoming or defeating gods or god-like beings, having demonic beings as allies, depicting iconography or other symbols of real religions, being able to choose between acting good or evil, and provocative outfits on women. This is on top of China’s existing ban on depictions of the undead, spirits, and lewd content.
The memo even mentioned Shin Megami Tensei IV by name. The Shin Megami Tensei and spin-off Persona series have allowed players to command and fight creatures from myth and religion, from fairy-tales to outright gods.
One would imagine neither series would ever be accepted by Chinese regulators, requiring far more extensive censorship to scrub any reference to demons and religions. Despite this, and based on the datamining, not all of China’s regulations have been applied.
Aside from four clearly angelic monsters, Persona 5: The Phantom X also features Zouchouten and Jikokuten– two of the Four Heavenly Kings in Buddhism (a religion recognized by the Chinese government), and Ganesha from Hinduism. Several female characters have also escaped scrutiny with a high-cut leotard (unlike Succubus), and cleavage that ranges from modest to plunging.
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There’s also the Terms of Service (ToS) of both smartphone stores. Google Play’s “Inappropriate Content” guidelines prohibit sexual content and profanity, including “Depictions of sexual nudity, or sexually suggestive poses in which the subject is nude, blurred or minimally clothed, and/or where the clothing would not be acceptable in an appropriate public context.”
While this also extends to “Depictions, animations or illustrations of sex acts, or sexually suggestive poses or the sexual depiction of body parts,” the Google Play store features gacha games with attractive anime girls — potentially in bikinis and similar attire — such as Fire Emblem Heroes, Genshin Impact, and Azur Lane.
This also includes Goddess of Victory: Nikke, known for having girls with impressive physiques and jiggle physics as they fire their guns.
Apple’s App Store Review Guidelines also prohibits “Overtly sexual or pornographic material, defined as ‘explicit descriptions or displays of sexual organs or activities intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings.'”
As with Google, they host Fire Emblem Heroes, Genshin Impact, Azur Lane, and Goddess of Victory: Nikke despite their ToS. Likewise, the App Store forbids “hookup” apps, despite six apps with those in the title being easily found.
Yet, some of those very gacha games operate in China. While they are censored, making outfits less revealing or disabling certain camera angles, the characters keep their clearly alluring physique and animations — all despite regulator’s crackdown on pornographic and sexualized content. Azur Lane was a notable rarity, as 18 characters were removed from the Chinese version in 2021.
It seems that Apple, Google, and Chinese regulators are happy to accept Persona 5: The Phantom X, with only a select few costume changes. As these renders are datamined, there is no way of knowing what will survive the final cut in China.
While it’s unconfirmed if the game will be launched outside of China, the official gameplay trailer does have one oddity. While it features Japanese audio and Chinese subtitles, it seems to show the Incubus’ crotch horn has not been removed. This may suggest the game will come to other regions, and that China’s censorship won’t extend to them.
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