Summary
One of the biggest concerns aboutPersona 3 Reloadprior to its release was how the game would make up for the lack of content found in other versions of the game. Many fans were lamenting the fact thatPersona 3 Reloadwas seemingly missing The Answer epilogue that was present inPersona 3 FES. While the latest announcement from Atlus confirms that The Answer is coming as DLC forPersona 3 Reloadlater this year, some fans are upset that the game is still missing the playable female protagonist option available inPersona 3 Portable.
During the recent Xbox Partner Preview event, Atlus officially unveiled theexpansion pass forPersona 3 Reload, which includes Episode Aigis - The Answer set to release in September 2024. The Answer follows up on the ending ofPersona 3 Reloadand stars Aigis as the main protagonist in a story that will lead players through a new dungeon called The Abyss of Time. Official confirmation that The Answer DLC is on its way is great news forPersona 3 Reloadfans, but with no mention ofPersona 3 Portable’s female protagonist option coming as part of this expansion pass, the announcement is somewhat bittersweet.
Although neither The Answer nor the female protagonist were present in the original release ofPersona 3, they were added inPersona 3 FESandPersona 3 Portable, respectively. SincePersona 3 Reloadwas intended to be a faithful remake of the original release ofPersona 3, it makes sense that they wouldn’t be included in the base game forPersona 3 Reload. However, now that The Answer is confirmed to be coming as DLC, some fans are disappointed that there are no plans to bringPersona 3 Portable’s FeMCas well, given that she was in a similar position as The Answer leading up toPersona 3 Reload’s release.
InPersona 3 Portable, players have the option of selecting between a male or female protagonist — the only time this has been an option in thePersonaseries. Selecting the FeMC, who is canonically known as Kotone Shiomi, gives players a brand-new way to experiencePersona 3’s story as she includes newSocial Links and romance optionsfor characters like Shinjiro, Akihiko, Junpei, and Ken. Additionally, players will also get to see new dialogue options and a different UI, as well as hear a different battle theme when selecting the female protagonist.
Why the FeMC is Unlikely to Ever Officially Appear in Persona 3 Reload
Despite fan attempts toadd Kotone toPersona 3 Reloadvia mods, Atlus has made it readily apparent by her snub in the game’s expansion pass that they have no plans to ever add the female protagonist toPersona 3 Reload. Atlus has a history of disregarding Kotone as a part ofPersona 3’s story, opting instead to make the original interpretation of the game’s plot the canon one. As such, she has rarely made an appearance in the series outside ofPersona 3 Portable, with her only other notable role coming in the crossover titlePersona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, which pulls in characters from across the series' alternate timelines.
Even ignoring the non-canon nature of Kotone’s existence,Persona 3 Reloadfeatures several design choices that would make adding her as post-launch content tricky for Atlus to pull off. Many of the new activities inPersona 3 Reload, like dorm hangouts and Link Episodes, were included to fill in the missing gaps left by the lack of a female protagonist’s presence, meaning her addition wouldn’t add as much content as players would hope. Additionally, the majority of the content her inclusion would bring comes in the form ofvoiced Social Links, and Atlus may not want to take the time to dub these Social Links for a DLC.
