Considering it was originally a spinoff of Atlus’s Shin Megami Tensei, the Persona series has grown into its own well-established franchise, with the mainline title already in its fifth game. Like its predecessor, The Phantom Thieves has enjoyed widespread popularity since Persona 5 was first released in 2016.

Related – Read our Persona 5 Tactica Review

You would see them pretty much everywhere, from anime to Japanese stage plays and even collaborations with other videogame series. They’ve become household names with their charming personalities and iconic masks, and even a simple glimpse will definitely steal your heart (in a good way).

But the work of a Phantom Thief is never done. In line with the release of Persona 5 Tactica, Joker and the rest of the gang invaded Moon Rabbit Café & Restaurant for a one-of-a-kind cafe collaboration that’s set to unite fans and newcomers alike.

Manila played host to the first-ever Persona 5 Tactica cafe collaboration, and if you’ve been taking notice, these types of events bring out fans of the series in droves, offering attendees a chance to interact with fellow enthusiasts and partake in fun activities and good food.

The Moon Rabbit Café & Restaurant was transformed into a classroom that’s fitting of the familiar high school setting of the game. The venue was filled with many activities, including a trivia game, making your own keychain, and even getting to play Persona 5 Tactica for a limited time. Feeling creative and expressive? Feel free to draw or write on the classroom blackboard and send the Phantom Thieves a message for a job well done!

Eventgoers can also head over to the photo booth and have their pictures taken with standees of the Phantom Thieves to show that they’re part of the gang. For their troubles, they can get a printed copy of the photo that doubles as a magnetic copy that they can stick on metallic surfaces.

There’s definitely an incentive to do all of these activities because attendees can get stamps on their passports, which when completed, will net them loot that will make Morgana green with envy.

Of course, we can’t have a Persona 5 Tactica event without a meal! This is a cafe, after all, and attendees can choose from a good selection of themed food and drinks to satisfy their hunger.

The PHP 600 package includes an appetizer, a main course, and a drink. While the dishes can feel a bit limited, the drink selection more than makes up for it with the number of choices corresponding to each of the Persona 5 Tactica cast.

Feeling a bit sleepy? Check out the Morgana Cafe Mocha or the Ann Red Velvet Cafe Latte. There are also some sweet selections, ranging from the Ryuji Pineapple Orange Juice Mix to the heavily popular Futaba Green Apple Soda. There’s a drink for everybody!

Of course, there’s a good number of special guests as well, and if you’re lucky, you can get to see some of your favorite cosplay personalities and popular streamers enjoying the festivities as well.

Special cosplay guests graced the event during my time at the venue, namely well-known cosplayer Cholo Tolentino and celebrity streamer Myrtle, who dressed up as the Persona 5 main character and Ann “Panther” Takamaki respectively.

Also in attendance that day was Zackt, who cosplayed Joker in his Phantom Thief attire, and Roxanne Kho, who was Confidant Doctor Takemi Tae. We also have to give a shoutout to the attendant who cosplayed everybody’s favorite teacher-to-hate Kamoshida, who should be really well-known among the Persona 5 fandom.

And who could leave out Kang Dupet, cosplaying as the newest character from Persona 5 Tactica, spunky rebel leader Erina.

As a longtime Persona fan, it was definitely a treat to be able to go to an event dedicated to one of my favorite video game series. It certainly helps that the event is held in our backyard, so to speak, which is definitely a rare occurrence. You can definitely feel the energy in the venue, with music from Persona 5 Tactica being on full blast.

One of the highlights of my visit was simply getting to talk to fellow attendees and just talking to them about anything and everything Persona. It was great getting to meet fellow Phantom Thieves who are as excited as you are, and the fact that the celebrity guests also socialized with the crowd was definitely a big plus.

While this event is literally a dream come true for fans of the series, some aspects of it can indeed be improved.

Attending on the opening day itself, I was ready to brave the crowd, but I thought that the venue was a bit cramped. The tables for dining occupied nearly half the venue and the large blackboard cutout blocked the counter behind. Simply put, there was not enough room to walk in.

Thankfully, the outside of the venue was also decorated with Persona 5 Tactica-themed banners and standees, which make for great photo opportunities as well as a venue to relax and talk with other attendees.

Circling back to the meal portions, it would have been nice to have more selections as far as the appetizers and main course were concerned. Compared to the wider selection of drinks, the food selection felt a little lacking. To be fair, it was a great touch that Curry was part of the main course as it was a prominent meal in Persona 5’s Café Leblanc.

You actually get a pretty good deal as the Persona-themed coasters and decorations you get with your set meal are practically yours, and the coasters really look well done.

One glaring oversight is the lack of merchandise that attendees can purchase. Filipino fans do love to spend money, especially on their favorite fandoms, so I’m sure it wasn’t just me who was looking for some officially licensed loot to take home.

Overall, just don’t forget that this is a café collaboration event and not a full-blown convention. You’re here to dine, play, and gush over Persona 5 Tactica with other fans, albeit on a smaller scale. For a Persona fan, that’s more than enough if you think about it.

Hopefully, we get more of these in the future!

The Persona 5 Tactica Collaboration Event will run from November 17 to December 16, 2023.

Persona 5 Tactica is now available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC.