Move aside Charles Martinet, this year’s E3 Gaming celebrity is Shigenori Soejima- the oh so very talented character designer for the Persona series! Soejima took over the Atlus stage for several discussions and autograph sessions throughout the event. On Day 3 of E3 2016, I had the honor to attend the Q&A session Thursday morning, where Soejima responded to questions from the fans about himself and the upcoming Persona 5 game. Planned to be released in February 2017 in North America, eager fans jam-packed the area to hear what he had to say.

Here are some of the highlights from the hour-long Q&A Session:

What inspired you to become a character designer?

When the 1 vs 1 Fighting craze first started on SNES, developer artists started putting a lot of effort into making these characters stand out. Soejima was very mesmerized by the efforts of these designers.

What is the most memorable moment of being a character designer?

There isn’t any particular moment. But every time there’s some kind of feedback/ interaction from the fans about the characters such as drawings or cosplay it is really touching.

Anything you are looking forward to here in Los Angeles/E3?

He’s been really busy throughout this E3 that he really couldn’t spend too much time outside it. Last night was the first time he could enjoy a nice big juicy burger!… He really enjoys and appreciates all of you coming to these live events and that’s what he’s enjoying the most right now.

If you’d like even more information, news, screenshots, and more about Persona 5 just check out Persona Central!

Extra Shigenori Soejima Fun Facts!

Favorite Gundam series?

The first.

Favorite type of character to draw or comes most easily?

Those with short hair.