Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 takes place in the fictional rural Japanese town of Inaba, located along a floodplain. Inexplicable murders begin to occur there: bodies are found hanging from electrical or telephone wires, and the cause of death cannot be determined. At the same time, a rumor begins to circulate that if you look at the turned off TV screen at midnight on a rainy day, you can see a person with a kindred spirit. Deciding to check this rumor, a group of high school students discover a foggy world inside televisions, inhabited by monsters called Shadows.
They also find their own Shadow doubles, symbolizing the suppressed sides of their character. Fighting doppelgangers awakens the ability to summon creatures known as "Personas" — mystical entities bearing the names of ancient gods, demons or heroes.