Just when you thought Persona 5 had collaborated with every conceivable franchise under the sun, Atlus proves there’s always room for one more. On December 31, 2025, the official Fitness Boxing Twitter account dropped a teaser image announcing a collaboration with Persona 5, and no, this isn’t an early April Fools joke. Get ready to punch your way to better health with the Phantom Thieves.
What’s In The Teaser?
The announcement came as part of Persona’s 30th anniversary celebration with a stylized image featuring two mysterious quotes rendered in Persona 5’s iconic red and black user interface. The dialogue reads: “What are you getting ready for?” followed by “Heh heh heh… This time, I’m preparing a training plan that’s a bit different from usual. After all, stamina is essential for a Phantom Thief!”
While no specific characters are identified in the teaser, the tone and presentation strongly suggest we’ll see familiar faces like Joker, Ryuji, Ann, and the rest of the crew serving as workout instructors. The teaser ends with “Stay tuned,” meaning we’ll likely get more details in early 2026 about pricing, release date, and exactly which Phantom Thieves will be yelling at you to throw better punches.
The Fitness Boxing Formula
If you’re unfamiliar with Fitness Boxing, the series has been quietly successful on Nintendo Switch since 2018. The games use Joy-Con motion controls to track your boxing movements as you jab, hook, uppercut, and dodge your way through rhythm-based workouts. Think of it as a less physically demanding Ring Fit Adventure with more focus on upper body cardio.
The series has built a reputation for making exercise accessible and genuinely fun, with customizable instructors, difficulty settings, daily workout routines, and progress tracking. Games typically feature warm-up stretches, main boxing exercises set to upbeat music, and cool-down stretches to prevent injury. The motion detection isn’t perfect, but it’s good enough to provide a legitimate cardio workout without requiring expensive gym equipment.
Collaboration Is Nothing New For This Series
Persona 5 isn’t the first major franchise to team up with Fitness Boxing. The series previously released Fitness Boxing Fist of the North Star in March 2023, letting players train with iconic characters like Kenshiro as instructors. That game added a Battle Mode where you literally punched your way through hordes of enemies from the manga and anime series.
More recently, Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku launched in September 2024, bringing the virtual pop star and her Piapro Character friends into the mix. That collaboration introduced original songs and a special Miku Exercise mode alongside the traditional workout routines. The game received a respectable 78 Metacritic score and proved that anime and music-focused crossovers can breathe new life into the fitness game formula.
Why Persona 5 Makes Perfect Sense
| Fitness Boxing Collaboration | Release Date | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Fist of the North Star | March 2023 | Battle Mode, Boss Battles, Kenshiro instructor |
| Hatsune Miku | September 2024 | Original songs, Miku Exercise mode, Vocaloid characters |
| Persona 5 (Upcoming) | TBA 2026 | Unknown (likely Phantom Thief instructors, P5 soundtrack) |
The collaboration makes total sense when you consider what both franchises bring to the table. Persona 5 has one of the most beloved soundtracks in gaming history, packed with energetic jazz-fusion tracks perfect for keeping workout momentum. Songs like “Last Surprise,” “Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There,” and “Life Will Change” would be absolute bangers for boxing routines.
The Phantom Thieves are also visually striking characters with distinct personalities that translate well to instructor roles. Imagine Ryuji hyping you up with his endless energy, Makoto providing structured workout advice, or Morgana critiquing your form and telling you to go to sleep after a tough session. The potential for fan service and genuine entertainment value is massive.
Community Reactions Are Mixed
The announcement triggered a flood of reactions across social media and gaming forums, ranging from genuine excitement to comedic frustration. Many fans were hoping the Persona 30th anniversary would bring news about Persona 6 or a proper Persona 5 Arena fighting game. Instead, they got fitness boxing.
One highly upvoted Reddit comment joked, “I was hoping for something different than Persona 5 Arena. When I expressed a desire to fight Okamura, this definitely wasn’t what I had in mind!” Another quipped, “It’s hard to believe that Persona not only pioneered Jazz music but has also introduced boxing!”
However, plenty of fans expressed genuine interest, especially those who already own Fitness Boxing games. One Reddit user wrote, “I am actually excited about this. I got Fitness Boxing 3 last year and honestly it was a lot of fun and very good daily exercise.” Another added, “The fact that the soundtrack from Persona 5 is available for fitness boxing? Count me in! That music really hits hard.”
The Persona 5 Collaboration Curse
There’s a running joke in the gaming community that Persona 5 collaborations are cursed. Multiple mobile games that partnered with Atlus for limited-time Persona 5 events have subsequently shut down within a few years. Dragalia Lost, Sword Art Online: Memory Defrag, Star Ocean: Anamnesis, and NieR Reincarnation all featured Persona 5 crossovers before eventually closing their servers.
Whether this is an actual curse or just the natural lifecycle of live service games is debatable, but fans certainly noticed the pattern. One Twitter user responding to the Fitness Boxing announcement wrote, “The cow is already dry, and now it’s producing blood,” suggesting Atlus has milked Persona 5 for every possible collaboration. Another joked about decoding hidden messages, claiming the letters F and B hint at Persona 6 and a Persona 2 remake.
What About Persona 6?
The Fitness Boxing announcement is part of Persona’s 30th anniversary celebration throughout 2026, and Atlus has promised multiple announcements over the coming months. This doesn’t mean Persona 6 news is imminent, but fans can expect more reveals beyond just fitness games.
Atlus typically teases anniversary news gradually rather than dropping everything at once. During the 25th anniversary celebration, the company announced Persona 5 Royal ports, Persona 4 Golden PC release, and several smaller projects before eventually revealing larger initiatives. The same strategy appears to be in play for the 30th anniversary, with the Fitness Boxing collaboration serving as one piece of a bigger puzzle.
When Will It Release?
No release date, pricing, or platform information has been confirmed yet beyond the teaser image. Given that Fitness Boxing is primarily a Nintendo Switch series, the Persona 5 collaboration will almost certainly launch on Switch and potentially Switch 2. Previous Fitness Boxing titles have been Switch exclusives, typically priced around $49.99 at launch.
If development follows the pattern of previous collaborations, we could see Fitness Boxing feat. Persona 5 launch sometime in late 2026. The Fist of the North Star version was teased in February 2023 and released in March 2023, suggesting a relatively short gap between announcement and launch. However, the Hatsune Miku collaboration had a longer development cycle, so Atlus and Imagineer might be taking more time with this project.
Will It Actually Be Good?
Previous Fitness Boxing collaborations have generally reviewed well despite being somewhat niche products. The core Fitness Boxing gameplay loop works, providing legitimate cardio workouts that can be done in your living room without expensive equipment. The motion controls are responsive enough to track your movements accurately, and the difficulty scaling means both beginners and experienced boxers can find appropriate challenges.
The real question is how much effort Imagineer and Atlus put into integrating Persona 5’s world and characters. If it’s just a superficial reskin with minimal voice acting and generic instructor dialogue, fans might feel disappointed. However, if the team goes all-in with fully voiced Phantom Thieves, meaningful story content, exclusive remixes of Persona 5 tracks, and creative workout modes tied to the game’s Metaverse concept, this could be something special.
FAQs
When was Fitness Boxing Persona 5 announced?
The collaboration was teased on December 31, 2025, via the official Fitness Boxing Twitter account as part of Persona’s 30th anniversary celebration. No full announcement with release date or pricing has been made yet.
What platforms will Fitness Boxing Persona 5 be on?
While not officially confirmed, the game will almost certainly release on Nintendo Switch and potentially Switch 2, as all previous Fitness Boxing titles have been Switch exclusives.
Which Persona characters will appear in the game?
The teaser didn’t specify which characters will serve as instructors, but it’s likely the main Phantom Thieves from Persona 5 will appear, including Joker, Ryuji, Ann, Makoto, Morgana, and others.
How much will it cost?
Pricing hasn’t been announced, but previous Fitness Boxing collaboration games like Fist of the North Star and Hatsune Miku launched at $49.99, suggesting this will follow similar pricing.
Has Fitness Boxing collaborated with other franchises before?
Yes, the series previously released Fitness Boxing Fist of the North Star in March 2023 and Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku in September 2024, both featuring characters from their respective franchises as instructors.
Is this replacing Persona 6 or Persona 5 Arena?
No, this is just one of multiple announcements planned for Persona’s 30th anniversary in 2026. Atlus has stated there will be opportunities throughout the year to discuss future developments in the franchise.
Does Fitness Boxing actually work as exercise?
Yes, Fitness Boxing games provide legitimate cardio workouts focused on upper body movement. The games include warm-ups, boxing drills, and cool-downs, though the motion tracking isn’t as comprehensive as dedicated fitness equipment.
Will Persona 5’s music be in the game?
While not confirmed, it’s highly likely that iconic Persona 5 tracks will be featured as workout music, as previous collaborations have included music from their respective franchises.
When will the full announcement happen?
No date has been given for a full reveal. Based on the December 31 teaser timing, we could see more details in early 2026, possibly at a Nintendo Direct or during another Persona anniversary event.
Conclusion
Fitness Boxing feat. Persona 5 might not be the announcement many fans were hoping for during the franchise’s 30th anniversary, but it’s perfectly in line with Atlus’s strategy of squeezing every possible collaboration out of their most successful game. Whether you’re a hardcore Persona fan who’ll buy anything with Joker’s face on it, a Fitness Boxing regular looking for fresh content, or just someone who wants an excuse to exercise while listening to “Rivers in the Desert,” this collaboration has something to offer. The series has proven that anime and gaming crossovers can work wonderfully in the fitness space, and Persona 5’s incredible style and soundtrack could make this the best Fitness Boxing game yet. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to start training my stamina because those Phantom Thieves are definitely going to kick my butt.