Persona 3 fans shudder at real-life Dark Hour spotted in Tokyo 

The Tokyo Skytree’s illuminations have taken on an apocalyptic meaning for Persona 3 fans lately, as a photo of the tower’s vivid green lighting conjures up memories of the game’s Dark Hour. A remake of the game entitled Persona 3 Reload is scheduled for release on February 2, making this a timely reminder. 

The Dark Hour occurs at twelve midnight in Atlus’s RPG Persona 3 and is a hidden time that regular humans are unaware of. During this hour, demonic enemies called Shadows emerge to hunt humans. In Persona 3, the player must stop the Dark Hour as a member of the persona-summoning group SEES, thus all the game’s combat takes place during this time anomaly. The physical world changes during Dark Hour; water turns blood red while buildings, the sky and the moon take on a sickly green color. 

On January 13, an X user posted a photo of the Tokyo Skytree with the lights on the top glowing an eerie green. The cryptic caption “Maybe someone failed to beat the scenario” resonated with Persona 3 players who all agreed that it resembled the green glow of Tartarus, the towering labyrinth dungeon that appears during Dark Hour.  

The 634m tall Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting and observation tower that dominates the skyline of Tokyo’s Asakusa area. Completed in 2012, Tokyo Skytree became the Tallest Tower in the Guiness World Records. The Skytree has held various illumination events, so it is not clear when exactly this particular photo was taken.  

The green illumination also reminded X users of other franchises, including the Harry Potter movies, the PS2 horror game SIREN 2 and the Clock Tower series.  

Persona 3 Reload will be released on February 2, 2024 on PS4/PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam).