The international box art for Persona 5 Strikers has been censored, in what many fans are seeing as a positive change for once. Atlus' Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series are no strangers to censorship, even in the modern era, with games like Tokyo Mirage Sessions being heavily censored outside of Japan.
The Persona and Shin Megami Tensei games sometimes feature nudity and sexual imagery, but a lot of the series' notorious censorship has been restricted to certain regions. Persona 5 was censored in South Korea (whose somewhat recent history includes brutal Japanese colonization) due to Ryuji's sneakers bearing Japan's Rising Sun symbol, while Raidou and Gouto will be removed entirely from the Chinese and Korean versions of Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster for similar reasons. There have also been instances where Atlus has inexplicably self-censored its own content mid-development, including the removal of gay romance in Persona 4.
Persona 5 Strikers is an upcoming sequel to Persona 5 for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Steam. The release date was leaked early by mistake, so Atlus now now officially revealed information about the game ahead of its original The Game Awards 2020 plans. The box art for the English version of Persona 5 Strikers on each platform has been revealed, and fans have noticed that it has been changed for international audiences. According to Fanbyte, Ryuji is no longer being kicked in the face on the cover. Instead, he is seen getting ready to strike a foe with his weapon, which many fans on Twitter are actually celebrating due to the character's somewhat disturbing role as a human punching bag.
The reason for this change is most likely due to censorship. The ESRB website has guidelines for promotional material relating to video games (which cover art falls under), and number one on the list refers to acts of violence. The guidelines specifically mention "violent blows to the head" as an excessive act of violence, which likely resulted in the Persona 5 Strikers artwork being changed.
For once when it comes to Atlus game censorship, many see this change is seen as a positive one. In Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal, Ryuji's backstory involves physical abuse at the hands of one of his teachers. Ryuji is also usually the butt of jokes among his friends, and he is often violence, even if it's treated in a comedic fashion. Persona fans have commended the localization team on social media for the change to the cover art, and it's being seen as a rare instance of censorship leading to a positive change. The fans of Ryuji don't particularly want to see him endure any more violence, not even on the cover of a spin-off game.
Persona 5 Strikers will be available for PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC, on February 23, 2021.