As much as fans might want the female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable (known canonically as Kotone Shiomi) to make a return in Persona 3 Reload, the devs at Atlus’s P-Studio stand by their decision not to include her in a future update.
In a recent interview with Danfaminicogamer, Persona series general producer Kazuhisa Wada says that even with Persona 3 Reload on its way to Switch 2, the addition of the female protagonist is not a realistic possibility. Much like in past statements, he explains that the costs and time needed to implement her would be too high – several times the resources that went into the Episode Aigis DLC.
Instead, with their limited time and budget, Wada says it’s P-Studio’s mission to tackle a variety of other new things. “If you ask what we might have left unfinished in Persona 3 Reload, that would certainly be one answer – but the whole team is working together on many different initiatives so that fans have something to look forward to.”
When asked about what these new pursuits may be, game director, producer, and Persona 3 lyricist Shigeo Komori mentioned that he is currently focusing on studying modern psychology and transactional analysis – the latter being the study of social interactions to determine people’s “ego states.”
Komori intents to incorporate what he has learned into game development, striving to depict human behavior and psychology more realistically. Since each person has different desires and ideals, he takes it as a challenge to create a work that fulfills those ideals. Aside from incorporating psychology into his future works, Komori would like to create a game that “will give players some kind of realization or inspiration,” in such a way that it will have “even a small positive effect on their lives.” Though he did not mention Persona specifically, the topics he mentioned easily fall under the subjects tackled by the franchise.
On the other hand, Wada mentions being involved in “so many things, even outside of games,” that there’s barely enough of him to go around. While Persona 3’s female protagonist may be out of the picture, fans of the series clearly have a lot to look forward to.
Persona 3 Reload is available for PS5/PS4, Xbox One,/Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam). The Nintendo Switch 2 edition is set to release on October 23, 2025.
Guess I’ll just play the psp version instead then, that’s also the cheaper option for me too atlus.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, Persona 3 Reloaded is incomplete without the female protagonist storyline. Layer as much DLC as you want on top of an incomplete product, it doesn’t hide that it wasn’t finished.
I don’t remember the part where I asked Wada to repeat this. Who cares, where’s P6 huh?
Modders have done a better job than atlus would, check out Gamebanana if you play on PC – it’s not super difficult to set up and it’s 1000% worth it. #JusticeForKotone
Hope they get what they wanted to get out of her the first time this time around. Finish her story first though.
Good, the devs dont need to create a whole new game just to add a protagonist that detracts from the story.
I don’t care as long as they don’t take down the mods fans make to add her in. They can lose money on stubbornness as much as they want.
and this is why its the only persona I haven’t bought, im still waiting to see if they gonna add a female .
“We have a mission to tackle new things”
He says, promoting the Persona 3 remake for the 3rd year in a row. With the Persona 4 remake on the way. After just releasing the Raidou Kuzunoha remake.
I hate this, remake of games that do not add the most complete version of the game. In the end there is no real definitive edition of the game. FF tactics is doing the same and I hate it, the game may be good but leaves content out. The new dq7 is doing the same.
Uh huh sure bud. I’ll continue waiting, I’ll continue waiting another 4 years. Same will be done with P6 Cuz I know you scums are gonna release an expansion version 3 yrs later or so.
That’s alright Reload and Revival SUCK atlus screwed persona by trying to make them all like persona 5, rest in peace persona you will be missed.
Putting the female protagonist doesn’t change the story and its not cannon so who cares
Loved P3FES. Played P3P for Kotone. Her narrative felt complete, her relationship to the team felt far more close than playing as the male MC. Her music soundtrack was great too. The best change she came along with was Shinjiro. Haters can hater and suck on 5 more. But if you cared about P3, you know Kotone hits different. Plus how they treated her in PQ2 felt straight up disrespectful. “You seem familiar but we don’t know you” 🙄
I haven’t changed my mind about playing 3 Portable instead
Only a strange tiny subsection of you that played these original games like 20 dang years ago care about this stuff. Lol. Most everyone else will play all these remakes and enjoy them for what they are.
So let me get this straight… What modders made for free already is to time consuming and expensive for good ol Atlus… All while they release the same incomplete slob over and over again while calling it “their mission to create new things”… I don’t know what drugs they take but clearly it let their brains rott away… Isn’t it just that they are to sexist to implement a female protagonist?