It’s an incredibly exciting time forPersona 3fans. After months of rumors and leaks, the remake titledPersona 3 Reloadwas officially announced at the Xbox Games Showcase. The trailer showcased how different the game looked compared to the original, and many fans pointed out that it now had similar graphics toPersona 5.
One of the highlights was seeing characters like the Protagonist (aka Makoto Yuki), Yukari Takeba, and Junpei Iori.Other members ofPersona 3’s SEES weren’t revealedyet, which could mean that Atlus will be saving them for a future reveal because of the drastic alterations being made to the character models. But amid the excitement, many fans were disappointed that Atlus didn’t includePersona 3’s female Protagonist, Minako Arisato—or FeMC as players refer to her—in the remake.
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Persona 3’s Female Protagonist Is Nowhere to Be Found in Remake
Minako Arisato first appeared inPersona 3 Portablein 2009. She’s the only second female protagonist in thePersonafranchise, with the first being Maya Amano fromPersona 2: Eternal Punishment. Many fans seemed to resonate with Minako more as they got to experience the samePersona 3’s story from the perspective of a teenage girl.
When rumors of aPersona 3remake started, it opened a lot of possibilities to integrate Minako in the game’s story beats, and give her the same animated treatment as her male counterpart. Unfortunately, Atlus confirmed thatPersona 3 Reloadwon’t include a playable female Protagonist and some FES content.
The news naturally disappointed manyPersona 3fans who were looking forward to playing Minako in the remake. They also criticized Atlus for not prioritizing the female protagonist, especially since they know it was possible to do since Minako was playable in the PC port ofPersona 3 Portable. The disappointment probably grew even more when Atlus clarified thatPersona 3 Reloadwill feature added main story contentfrom FES, except the Answer epilogue.
There’s still a chance forPersona 3 Reloadto add a female protagonist through a DLC or a re-release, especially if Atlus can’t fit all the FES content in the remake. ThePersonafranchise is known for having extended storylines, like inPersona 5 RoyalandPersona 4 Golden. It’s possible that Atlus might be cooking up a future release ifPersona 3 Reloadhas great sales after it launches in early 2024.
Apart from a playable female character, thePersona 3 ReloadDLC or re-release could include thehighly requested The Answer epilogue, FES Social Links that didn’t make it to the remake, and potentially newer content. A fun direction Atlus could take is to come out with a new storyline revolving around Minako and the rest of the SEES team.
It could take a page out ofPersona 5 Strikers, where the Phantom Thieves spent their summer vacation driving across Japan to investigate mysterious occurrences. This would be a great way to keep fans invested inPersona 3once again, and also keep them occupied as they wait forPersona 6to finally drop.
Of course, there’s also the possibility of Atlus simply not having the resources to expand thePersona 3universe further. The team could very well be focused on finishingPersona 6andotherPersona 5spin-offsthat might be in the pipeline. However, it would be unfortunate if the company ultimately scraps Minako from thePersona 3remake, and it might have to deal with the backlash that would come with the decision.
It’s been more than a decade since Minako was introduced inPersona 3 Portable, and two installments have already passed. If anything, this might just strengthen the case forPersona 6to have a female protagonistand the franchise is definitely due for another one.
Persona 3 Reloadwill launch in early 2024 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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