Highlights

  • The Answer DLC is confirmed for Persona 3 Reload, but the female protagonist option from Persona 3 Portable is still missing.
  • The expansion pass for Persona 3 Reload includes Episode Aigis - The Answer set to release in September 2024.
  • Atlus has no plans to add the female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable to Persona 3 Reload, citing design challenges and storyline decisions.

One of the biggest concerns about Persona 3 Reload prior 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 that Persona 3 Reload was seemingly missing The Answer epilogue that was present in Persona 3 FES. While the latest announcement from Atlus confirms that The Answer is coming as DLC for Persona 3 Reload later this year, some fans are upset that the game is still missing the playable female protagonist option available in Persona 3 Portable.

During the recent Xbox Partner Preview event, Atlus officially unveiled the expansion pass for Persona 3 Reload, which includes Episode Aigis - The Answer set to release in September 2024. The Answer follows up on the ending of Persona 3 Reload and 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 for Persona 3 Reload fans, but with no mention of Persona 3 Portable's female protagonist option coming as part of this expansion pass, the announcement is somewhat bittersweet.

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Persona 3 Reload Missing the Female Protagonist Hurts Even More Due to The Answer DLC

Although neither The Answer nor the female protagonist were present in the original release of Persona 3, they were added in Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Portable, respectively. Since Persona 3 Reload was intended to be a faithful remake of the original release of Persona 3, it makes sense that they wouldn't be included in the base game for Persona 3 Reload. However, now that The Answer is confirmed to be coming as DLC, some fans are disappointed that there are no plans to bring Persona 3 Portable's FeMC as well, given that she was in a similar position as The Answer leading up to Persona 3 Reload's release.

In Persona 3 Portable, players have the option of selecting between a male or female protagonist — the only time this has been an option in the Persona series. Selecting the FeMC, who is canonically known as Kotone Shiomi, gives players a brand-new way to experience Persona 3's story as she includes new Social Links and romance options for 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 to add Kotone to Persona 3 Reload via 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 to Persona 3 Reload. Atlus has a history of disregarding Kotone as a part of Persona 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 of Persona 3 Portable, with her only other notable role coming in the crossover title Persona 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 Reload features several design choices that would make adding her as post-launch content tricky for Atlus to pull off. Many of the new activities in Persona 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 of voiced Social Links, and Atlus may not want to take the time to dub these Social Links for a DLC.