Haru Okumura

Lore & Background

Haru is a third-year high school student at Shujin Academy and the heiress to her father's business fortune. During her time at school, she awakens supernatural powers known as Personas to fight distorted desires in the Metaverse. Her design reflects a character who seems standoffish and "in a different world" due to her sheltered upbringing but becomes friendlier as she bonds with the cast. Her Persona, Milady, eventually evolves into Astarte in Persona 5 Royal, reflecting a shift from artificial to organic, mirroring her own growth.

In Their Own Story

Haru joined the Phantom Thieves after Morgana left the group following a dispute with Ryuji. He ventured alone to steal from Kunizaku Okumura's Palace, where Haru was trapped. Accepting her assistance, she entered the manifestation of her father's distorted view and awakened her Persona, Milady, assuming the moniker Noir. She successfully changed her father's heart, though he was killed shortly after without her knowledge. In Persona 5 Royal, her introduction occurs earlier in the story compared to the original game. In Dancing in Starlight, her room design deliberately avoided showing hobbies to reflect her sheltered life; her outfit features a ballet corset with a gothic style because choreographer Teppei Kobayashi felt she did not fit street styles. Motion actor Smile Saki performed Haru's dancing but had to adjust from strict ballet rules to a style normal people would appreciate, as too much focus on beauty would detract from Haru's personality.

Reader's Guide

Haru is voiced by Haruka Tomatsu in Japanese and Xanthe Huynh in English. Huynh was not given the character name until signing non-disclosure agreements and found balancing "going beyond certain constraints" tricky during a year-long recording process. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, she appears as a Spirit released with Joker in the Fighters Pass DLC. She is also playable in Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, unlocked after defeating Kamoshidaman. Reception has been mixed; she ranked lowest on popularity polls of the main cast due to low exposure and late introduction. However, critics like Luke Plunkett found her significantly improved in Persona 5 Strikers, noting her dislike of police as a memorable trait. Following expanded appearances in Royal and Tactica, reception has become more positive, with some praising her "quick, witty, and genuinely funny" personality.

Did You Know?

• Game artist Shigenori Soejima identified Haru as a favorite character to draw due to her bob hairstyle.
• Haru's motion capture was performed by a professional dancer, not Smile Saki.
• No official Haru-themed candle has been produced by Atlus or Sega in collaboration with any company.
• Haru was the lowest-ranked character on a poll of playable Persona 5 characters, attributed to her limited time for players to get to know her.
• Haru appears only as a cameo in Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, not as a playable character.