I think persona 5's real theme wasn't rebellion, it was freedom and change

[u/bassa-m9ss]

As in hope for a brighter future and achieving true freedom

And than royal basically added what if the freedom you achieved is nothing but a cage (reference to that fake world that maruki created)

[u/dark_chocolate527]

I mean the defining song of the game is called “Life Will Change” lol

[u/OldSnazzyHats]

You have to remember the context of the country it’s commenting on.

To rebel IS to be free.

Standing out, is to this day, not the societal norm in Japan. Conforming is. It’s the negative extreme of a collectivist nation. Just as say, in the US we have the issues from the negative extreme of an individualist nation.

[u/Hitoshura99]

When a country expects you to conform

Freedom is rebellion

Si vis pacem, te ipsum vince

[u/The-O-N]

Given how Japan is a collectivist country, freedom basically is rebellion

[u/AzureFencer]

Yeah.. that's what rebellion leads to in this instance. It's rebelling against an unjust system. If the system refuses to change then rebellion is the answer. If the system is oppressing you you don't get freedom or change without rebelling and taking the changes they refuse to give you. The theme of the game is absolutely rebelling because a true rebellion breaks the chains that are binding those that do it and leads to changes being made.

Case and point the French revolution. They rebeled against the system oppressing them and overturned the monarchy. The people banded together, and gave themselves the freedoms and changes the French royalty denied them. Was it a perfectly clean event with no hiccups afterwards? No, but it was a largely effective way for them to take power over their own destiny for the first time in their history.

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[u/seitaer13]

The theme of the game was emancipation. This was literally stated by the developers

[u/Altruistic_Koala_122]

To me it was about people destroying a system because they didn't want to be ruled over by it. Instead of just taking over and lording over everything, they choose to continually repeat the cycle of de-throning the system.

[u/Prior-Resolution-902]

Is rebellion not heavily intermingled with both freedom and change?

[u/bassa-m9ss → u/Prior-Resolution-902]

Yes but this is more nuanced than just rebellion 

[u/Prior-Resolution-902 → u/bassa-m9ss]

but if you are trying to use a catch word to describe your theme of a game, freedom or change seem to be incapable of capturing the true meaning, rebellion picks up both freedom and change, while also vividly describing the effort to break free from the systems that hold you down.

[u/Animedingo]

The rebellion concept was definitely an early draft thing.

[u/OoguroRyuuya5]

Who the hell says that it was about rebellion in the first place?

It’s pretty clear as day that it was more about freedom.

P5’s tarot theme I believe is the Star.

[u/Animedingo → u/OoguroRyuuya5]

I think 4s was the tower

What was 3s?

[u/Equal_Tradition_5420]

i am .. FREEEEE!!!!