of thieves and kings: marxist theory in "Persona 5"

They are called the "Phantom Thieves," after all. Much of Persona 5 discusses discrimination of all kinds; but I noticed class discrimination keeps showing up. And I think the act of thieving is intentional--whether or not it's literal or metaphorical.

https://www.independent.co.uk/games/persona-5-review-ps4-ps3-jrpg-japan-atlus-tokyo-katsura-hashino-phantom-thieves-a7664216.html, the Phantom Thieves.

Marxism, as it pertains to literary theory, draws an emphasis on class struggles between the upper class and lower working class (the bourgeoisie and the proletariat) through a piece of literature. And while Persona 5 is not exclusively about a power struggle between a bunch of poor high schoolers and a bunch of rich people, it is about different kinds of power struggles between oppressors and the oppressed. It just so happens that the adults that these high schoolers are stealing hearts from tend to be stupid rich--which is what is keeping a lot of those "corrupt adults" in power in the first place.

Like I said before, the thieving imagery is very intentional too. Think Robin Hood, vigilante justice. The lower class punching up. The opening conflict of the game is only possible because the main character stands up to a rich guy--and then the rich guy uses his money to bail himself out, while screwing our main character over. This game really highlights these societal dynamics, how the rich treat (and exploit) the poor. Persona 5, while certainly calling on the dynamic of young and old (especially considering this game was made in Japan, and there is a lot of respect/rituals surrounding how you treat your elders), often evolves into much more rampant issues like economic structure. It seems as though the economic struggles in society have become so ingrained in Persona 5 that those already corrupted are more likely to be corrupted by money, too. Intentional or not, Persona 5 is exposing what many Marxist critics would argue to be an excellent example of the very inequalities that plague modern society today.

Marxist theory also tends to view the author's situation--financial or otherwise--and attributes their upbringing to their work. Since Persona 5 was made by a metric ton of people under one studio (Atlus), this is a bit difficult to do. But, as I noted earlier, this game was produced in Japan. And Japan, while perhaps not as individualistic as the good old US, is still a capitalist country. Atlus' team is likely pulling on their own experiences in Japan and directly commenting on their society's structure.

The Phantom Thieves reimagine a story of purely economic struggle into that of a moral struggle; and yet, the economic structure of society still weaves its way through the moral pondering that many of the characters experience as they continue on their thieving ways. Class consciousness--the awareness of an individual's social and economic class and its relation to others in society--is prevalent, and extremely important to the Phantom Thieves' cause (a very important metric in the game is how popular the Phantom Thieves are on social media, as their crimes become more and more publicized).

At the root of Persona 5's story, there is a running theme of standing up to the oppressor, and stealing back what is rightfully yours. Whether that be money, or hearts.