It's an incredibly exciting time for Persona 3 fans. After months of rumors and leaks, the remake titled Persona 3 Reload was 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 to Persona 5.
One of the highlights was seeing characters like the Protagonist (aka Makoto Yuki), Yukari Takeba, and Junpei Iori. Other members of Persona 3's SEES weren't revealed yet, 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 include Persona 3's female Protagonist, Minako Arisato—or FeMC as players refer to her—in the remake.
Persona 3's Female Protagonist Is Nowhere to Be Found in Remake
Minako Arisato first appeared in Persona 3 Portable in 2009. She's the only second female protagonist in the Persona franchise, with the first being Maya Amano from Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. Many fans seemed to resonate with Minako more as they got to experience the same Persona 3's story from the perspective of a teenage girl.
When rumors of a Persona 3 remake 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 that Persona 3 Reload won't include a playable female Protagonist and some FES content.
The news naturally disappointed many Persona 3 fans 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 of Persona 3 Portable. The disappointment probably grew even more when Atlus clarified that Persona 3 Reload will feature added main story content from FES, except the Answer epilogue.
There's still a chance for Persona 3 Reload to add a female protagonist through a DLC or a re-release, especially if Atlus can't fit all the FES content in the remake. The Persona franchise is known for having extended storylines, like in Persona 5 Royal and Persona 4 Golden. It's possible that Atlus might be cooking up a future release if Persona 3 Reload has great sales after it launches in early 2024.
Apart from a playable female character, the Persona 3 Reload DLC or re-release could include the highly 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 of Persona 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 in Persona 3 once again, and also keep them occupied as they wait for Persona 6 to finally drop.
Of course, there's also the possibility of Atlus simply not having the resources to expand the Persona 3 universe further. The team could very well be focused on finishing Persona 6 and other Persona 5 spin-offs that might be in the pipeline. However, it would be unfortunate if the company ultimately scraps Minako from the Persona 3 remake, 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 in Persona 3 Portable, and two installments have already passed. If anything, this might just strengthen the case for Persona 6 to have a female protagonist and the franchise is definitely due for another one.
Persona 3 Reload will launch in early 2024 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.