Atlus Releases 'Persona 5' Ryuji Trailer And English Voice Actor Interview

Atlus released an English voice intro trailer for Persona 5’s Ryuji Sakamoto along with an interview with his voice actor, Max Mittelman (also known for his lead role as Saitama from One Punch Man).

Ryuji is comedic relief for much of the game, with an explosive personality and a lot of intensity and passion. Atlus describes Ryuji as follows:

“Shujin Academy is home to many high school delinquents, but the most notorious misfit would have to be Persona 5 ’s Ryuji Sakamoto. Ryuji was a promising track star who tragically suffered a career ending injury due to ‘overtraining’ by the sadistic coach Kamoshida. With no future in the sport he loves and experiencing first-hand the evil of ‘shitty adults,’ Ryuji becomes a social pariah who rebels against a society he perceives as corrupt.

Even though he’s the definition of a troublemaker, he has a kind heart and always puts the Phantom Thieves before himself. In short, Ryuji is a true friend that can always be counted on to have your back in a jam. Plus, having a tough guy with a skull mask in your crew is just awesome.”

In an interview between Atlus PR Manager John Hardin and voice actor Max Mittelman, Hardin describes Ryuji as someone who “turns on a dime to go from a little bit even-keel, normal, to like, extreme!”

“It’s one of my favorite things to play,” said Mittelman. “His explosive nature, that anger - ‘cause a lot of the time he’s not just angry, it’s like incredulous angry, and so he provides a lot of the comic relief of the game too. ‘Cause he gets so passionate about something and he freaks out and it’s not in a way that we can go whoa, hey, slow your roll. It’s very fun.”

As far as influences for Ryuji’s voice, Mittelman said Ryuji was really internal. “I feel like a lot of it just came from me. Like I feel like I can relate to Ryuji a lot,” he said.

Mittelman added, “The fans love of the game - I love their love. That’s what feeds me as an actor. It keeps me going. It reminds me that I’m involved in something that people care about and is important to people. That gets me excited for it.”

Persona 5 launches in North America and Europe on Feb. 15. Are you pumped? Feel free to talk Persona 5’s Ryuji Sakamoto in our comments section below.