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What Is Persona 5 Dancing Star Night

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So can you feel the Jazz?
Or the beautiful Ballet?
How about a Tango? Or maybe some Rock'n'Roll?
We'll bring it all to you
And guess what? You signed up for
Team AWESOME; just say it, you don't need lame pretty tunes...

— GROOVY , performed by Lyn

Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight (known as Persona 5: Dancing Star Night in Japan) is a Rhythm Game spin-off of Persona 5 in the vein of Persona 4: Dancing All Night, released at the same time as Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight, a similarly themed dancing spin-off of Persona 3.

It was released in Japan on May 24, 2018, and to the rest of the world on December 4, 2018.

One night, Caroline and Justine summon the Phantom Thieves to "Club Velvet" as their guests to party and dance. The Phantom Thieves reluctantly take up the invitation to entertain them.

Provides Examples Of:

  • Accidental Innuendo: In-Universe:

    Yusuke: Now, reveal yourself further!!
    Ann: Uh...phrasing, Yusuke.

  • Achievement Mockery: Failing a stage for the first time earns you the "Suspect in Custody!" trophy.
  • Ascended Meme: When Joker was first revealed in pre-release material for P5, his glasses and messy, black hair brought about comparisons to Harry Potter. His Halloween costume in this game is a Harry Potter-esque wizard.
  • All Just a Dream: Caroline and Justine summon the Phantom Thieves to Club Velvet in a dream.
  • All Men Are Perverts: If Ryuji is Haru's partner, he'll try to look up her skirt.
  • Badass Boast: The lyrics for "GROOVY" take in this feeling, implying that the Phantom Thieves just announced their great comeback and dared the authorities to try and do something about it.
  • Call-Back:
    • Stages include Shibuya Crossing, all of the Palaces, a rest area in Mementos, the roof, courtyard, and class 2-D of Shujin Academy, Leblanc, Waikiki Beach, and the rocky outcropping in the sky the Phantom Thieves battled P5's final boss on.
    • Most of the party members have a dance routine in their introductory Palace, most of which are located where the boss was fought in P5. The exceptions are Ann and Morgana, who shared their intro Palace with Ryuji, and Ren, who instead dances to "Rivers in the Desert" where he battled Masayoshi Shido.
    • One of Ren's model viewer poses hearkens back to his "Don't look at me like that" Talk to the Hand pose from Persona 5's pause menu.
    • To compensate for his tiny stature and the game's use of first-person perspective, Morgana stands on the stool from his All-Out Attack finisher in social events.
    • Haru strikes her "Beauty Thief" pose in a couple social events, and at the end of her "Will Power" routine.
    • Yusuke and Ren recreate the Passion of the Christ pose from Yusuke's Confidant during the "Blooming Villain" routine.
    • Buchimaru-kun, the cute panda mascot from Makoto's Confidant, reappears. Makoto's room has a few pieces of Buchimaru-kun merchandise, including a large stuffed animal with her name written on it in child's handwriting, and the original pencil case from the aforementioned Confidant is an equippable accessory.
    • The "LOVE" shirt Ann wears during a scene in the Madarame arc, and her pink, sticker-covered suitcase she brought during the Hawaii trip, reappear in her room.
    • Ann gets called a "natural airhead" by Morgana. Mika used the same insult against Ann back in her Confidant.
    • Yusuke's room contains a sketch of Mementos — presumably, he drew it after the scene in his Confidant where he and the protagonist traveled there for artistic inspiration. Other sketches include Ann, a lobster, Leblanc, and what looks like Madarame's house.
    • Ryuji ends his Fever Time with Morgana by picking him up and chucking him offscreen.
    • In one of his socials, Ryuji mentions he could easily be attracted to either "a fit tanned girl" or "the shy, bookish type" — descriptions that fit Persona 3 Social Links Yuko and Chihiro, respectively.
    • Futaba hums Junpei's level up jingle in one of her socials, Ryuji tells her it is wrong and it should sound like Nocturne's Battle Results, Futaba corrects herself and instead hums the Persona 5 battle Results.
  • Character Customization: Not only can you change the character's dance outfits, but you can also give them head and eyewear accessories. You can also change the color of their hair and eyes.
  • Chase Scene: "Life Will Change" is a music video featuring the men of the Phantom Thieves robbing a bank and being pursued by the police.
  • Covert Pervert: If Makoto is Futaba's partner, Futaba will try to grab her butt during Fever. If it's Ann, she goes for the boobs.
  • Crossover: DLC includes costumes based on SEGA's Yakuza and Sonic the Hedgehog.
  • Crucified Hero Shot: If Ren is Yusuke's partner, they will re-enact "The Passion of the Christ."
  • Dance Battler: Inverted. Makoto's dance routines incorporate aikido poses.
  • Demoted to Extra: Unlike in Dancing All Night, the titular Guardian Entities have no appearance at all in the entire game.
  • Distressed Woodchopping: In one event you go into Haru's room with her and Ryuji. You notices a pile of wood on her veranda, and she explains that chopping wood is her way of de-stressing. This also explains why she uses axes as her weapon of choice in the base game.
  • The Dividual: Caroline and Justine are playable together instead of being separated.
  • Downloadable Content: In addition to clothes, unlockable characters include Lavenza, Akechi, Theodore, Shinjiro Aragaki, Sho Minazuki, and Labrys.
  • Dream Weaver: Since some of the Phantom Thieves have no dancing experience, Caroline and Justine tell them that since they're dreaming, they simply need to "imagine" what their dance steps should look like to be able to dance.
  • Excuse Plot: After learning that Margaret's guest resolved a situation through dancing, Elizabeth claimed that her guest would do a better job and, not wanting to be outdone, Caroline and Justine made the same claim of their guest. That means this game and Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight take place at the same time, with Elizabeth somehow having gone back in time to the events of Persona 3 so everyone could participate.
  • First-Person Perspective: During Social Links and exploring the characters' rooms, the game shifts into Ren's point of view.
  • Gaiden Game: It is a spin-off with no relation to the main storyline of Persona 5.
  • Genre Shift: From an Urban Fantasy JRPG to dancing Rhythm Game.
  • Get a Room!: Ryuji may say this if two people of the opposite gender are dancing. He'll say it even if the twins are performing as well, while still referring to the three as two people.
  • Gratuitous English: Morgana introduces the second trailer with a "Heyo! What's up? Howzit goin?" that is borderline-physically painful to hear.
  • Hopeless with Tech: In one Social Link, Haru admits that she's terrible with technology and has no idea how to use a smart phone. She confesses about a time where she accidentally came upon a website called "Shady Commodities" run by a man wearing sunglasses...
  • Instant Expert: Most of the Phantom Thieves have never danced before, but are able to perform professionally for the twins. Justified by exploiting the cognitive nature of the Velvet Room. By simply visualizing the dancing in their mind, their bodies will automatically follow the steps without error.
  • Irony: The Mythology Gag and Yakuza DLCs have this in spades.
    • Ren as The Demifiend: Ren gains power from bonds and friends, the Demifiend has to kill at least one of his friends for every ending.
    • Ren as Kazuma Kiryu: Both Ren and Kiryu were sent to jail for crimes they did not commit. However, while Ren was victim of Miscarriage of Justice, Kiryu willingly turned himself in to cover the actual culprit and save his family's image.
    • Ryuji as Ryuji Goda: Shared name, Blood Knight behavior and hair colors aside, Ryuji Sakamoto is Ren's best friend and first associate in the Phantom Thieves, while Ryuji Goda is the Big Bad and Final Boss of Yakuza 2, who wanted to face off Kiryu to see who is the most deserving of being the lone Dragon of the Japanese underworld.
    • Ryuji and Ann as Aleph and Hiroko: Both Ryuji and Ann are seen as delinquents against authority, but Aleph and Hiroko work for the despotic Center at first. Ryuji is hated, where Aleph is adored as the Messiah. Ryuji's abusive coach was a famous athlete who didn't care about the well-being of his students, where Aleph's coach was a small time ex-gladiator who took an amnesiac Aleph off the streets and cared for him as his only student.
    • Ann as Goro Majima: Both are individuals shunned by Japanese society - the former for being a mixed-blood Japanese, the other for being part of the yakuza. Both have also sacrificed themselves to keep a person close to them safe (respectively Suzui Shiho and Makoto Makimura) from which they received bittersweet farewells. The irony kicks in with their personalities: Ann is the nicest and most sensible out of all the Phantom Thieves, while Majima - at least in his Mad Dog of Shimano character - is outright Ax-Crazy.
    • Futaba in the Demonica suit: Futaba is the navigator of the party, and everyone wearing the Demonicas end up horribly lost in the Antarctic.
    • Futaba in the Kage the Florist outfit: Like the Florst, the two are usually hidden away in their underground lair. Unlike the Florist, Futaba keeps her chest covered.
    • Makoto as Taiga Saejima: Makoto's the daughter of a police officer who wants to follow in his footsteps, while Saejima is a convicted murderer, albeit a very honorable Jerk with a Heart of Gold who never actually killed anyone.
    • Yusuke as Shun Akiyama: While both had to deal with manipulative mentors who only used them for their personal gains and were homeless at certain points in their lives, Yusuke is a Starving Artist who is constantly on the verge of going broke, while Akiyama is an Uncle Pennybags whose business has managed to make him more money than he knows what to do with.
    • Haru as Haruka Sawamura: Haru's mother died before the story and her biological father, even though he's part of a grand conspiracy and tried to sell her off to an abusive boyfriend for political gains, treated his daughter like a proper daughter at times while Haruka's father, Kyohei Jingu, tried to outright murder her and her mother because he's a sociopathic bastard who believes their very existence threatens his political career. For the funny irony, Haru is a Walking Techbane while Haruka can use a smartphone just fine.
  • Late-Arrival Spoiler: Lavenza's appearance in the game as DLC indirectly gives away a huge plot twist at the end of Persona 5. Even without that DLC, the opening of the game reveals that Caroline and Justine were originally one being.
    • The game's DLC gives away another plot twist in Persona 5. Goro Akechi becoming a villain.
  • Lighter and Softer: A tone down from the main game's dark theme.
  • Male Gaze: The video for "Last Surprise" has the female characters wearing revealing dance outfits as they dance in cages and with stripper poles in the back. This is interspersed with shots of them seductively touching their bodies and them lounging by the pool in glittering swimsuits.
  • Market-Based Title: The subtitle is "Dancing Star Night" in Japan.
  • Modesty Shorts: To avoid any Panty Shots during their dance, the girls wear shorts underneath their skirts.
  • Mythology Gag: DLC costumes include:
    • Ren: The Demifiend, Kazuma Kiryu, and Vincent Brooks.
      • Both Ren and Kiryu were prosecuted for crimes that they didn't commit. While Ren was falsely accused, Kiryu willingly took the fall.
    • Ryuji: Aleph, Ryuji Goda and Orlando Haddick.
    • Ann: Hiroko, Goro Majima in his Majima Construction guise, and Catherine.
    • Makoto: Nanashi, Taiga Saejima, and Katherine McBride. Her Halloween costume also resembles Zombie Cop, a recurring demon from the mainline SMT games.
      • Both she and Nanashi were hated at the middle of the game for something that wasn't their fault (Makoto for not doing anything about Kamoshida despite not knowing, Nanashi for unsealing Krishna under Dagda's influence).
    • Yusuke: Shin Megami Tensei I Protagonist, Shun Akiyama, and Jonathan Ariga.
      • Appropriately enough, both Yusuke and the SMT I protagonist have dead mothers.
    • Futaba: Demonica suit, The Florist of Sai, and Tobias Nebbins.
    • Haru: Tae Asakura, Haruka Sawamura, and Erica Anderson.
    • Morgana: Sonic the Hedgehog, and a sheep.
    • Once again, a Lovers Arcana wielder dress up as Pink Argus of Phoenix Ranger Featherman R.
    • One of the accessories is a towel wrapped entirely over a character's head, hearkening back to Futaba's first appearance at the beach in P5.
  • Named by the Adaptation: In this game, Joker is given the civilian name of Ren Amamiya.
  • No Plot? No Problem!: Unlike Persona 4: Dancing All Night, there is no story mode; however, the Social Links provide unlockable character interactions as the characters continue to learn how to dance to entertain Caroline and Justine.
  • Promoted to Playable: Futaba and Caroline and Justine are now playable characters while Lavenza is available as DLC.
  • Sarashi: Ann and Futaba get these with their Yakuza DLC costumes, as Majima and The Florist are Walking Shirtless Scenes.
  • Sanity Slippage: Akechi starts off his dance as normal, but throughout the song his expressions change and his movements become more intense.
  • Shipper on Deck: Both Ann and Futaba seem to be this for Joker and Makoto, despite being possible relationship candidates themselves in the base game.
    • During one of Makoto's Social Link events, when Ann asks if Joker would be able to date Sae, one of his possible responses is "Her sis is better", upon which Ann smiles and vigorously nods her head in approval.
    • In another event with Makoto, Futaba tells her she will be a "top-tier wife", to which Joker can follow up with "You'd be perfect" after which Futaba points at Makoto and winks suggestively.
  • Ship Tease:
    • Heavily with Joker and Makoto throughout her events. Examples include Makoto being called good wife material with Joker agreeing, or Joker being asked if he thinks he's game to try and court Sae, to which he can either respond "Absolutely," "No Comment," or "Her sis (Makoto) is better."
    • When the topic of "who's the cutest Phantom Thief" is broached and should Joker respond with "Ann", Ryuji immediately follows up by agreeing and calling her a beauty. Ann blushes in responses and states she appreciates the way Ryuji phrased it. However, Ryuji immediately undercuts it by taking a crack at her expense.
  • Shown Their Work: Futaba's choreography uses tap dancing while Haru's uses traditional ballet.
  • Shout-Out:
    • The outfits and cinematography for "Last Surprise" seems heavily inspired by Cabaret, as it takes place in a nightclub with the female characters wearing burlesque outfits as they dance in cages and near stripper poles.
    • On the men's side for "Life Will Change," the boys of the Phantom Thieves play on a stage more reminiscent of the Daft Punk song, "Get Lucky."
    • One of Haru's social skits mentions a painting by a French impressionist of "a strong, resilient woman bounding forward in a white tutu". She's probably referring to Edgar Degas' L'etoile.
  • Stage Fright: When Futaba begins her dance, sometimes her opening dialogue is her stuttering, "I-I'm nervous!"
  • Stealth Sequel: While initially thought to be a spin-off taking place in the middle of P5, the game actually takes place after the end of Joker's journey as one of the first things Joker asks Caroline and Justine is about them separating from Lavenza again.
  • Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl: Yusuke's Halloween costume is a gender inversion of an onryo.
  • Sudden Name Change: Instead of "Co-op(eration)" (Confidants in English), the game now uses "Commu(nity)" (Social Links in English) again.
  • Wholesome Crossdresser:
    • Makoto gets the male Nanashi's outfit as a DLC costume.
    • Futaba's Velvet Room attendant costume is based on Theodore's, and her Catherine outfit is Toby's.
    • The Yakuza DLC pack gives Goro Majima's, Taiga Saejima's and The Florist of Sai's outfits to Ann, Makoto and Futaba respectively.
    • Ren, Ryuji and Yusuke all get drag outfits as DLC as well. Yusuke in particular is quite convincing as a woman, with Ren as a close second. Ryuji...less so.

What Is Persona 5 Dancing Star Night

Source: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/Persona5DancingInStarlight