Persona 3 Remake Omits Beloved Heroine

Atlus producer Kazushi Wada elucidates once again why the inclusion of the celebrated female protagonist (FeMC) from Persona 3 Portable into Persona 3 Reload is improbable. Peruse the subsequent paragraphs to glean further insights into his observations.

FeMC's Absence in Persona 3 ReloadIncorporating Kotone/Minako Would Entail Excessive Expenditure and Temporal Investment

In an interview recently reported by PC Gamer, producer Kazushi Wada revealed that Atlus had initially considered adding the female protagonist (FeMC) from Persona 3 Portable, otherwise known as Kotone Shiomi/Minako Arisato. While planning the Persona 3 Reload post-launch DLC, Episode Aigis - The Answer, however, it was ultimately decided to exclude the FeMC due to development and budget restraints.

Persona 3 Reload is the full remake of the 2006 JRPG classic, and released back in February this year. The game reintroduces many features and mechanics signature to the installment, but the absence of Kotone/Minako saddened many fans. Despite fan outcry, Wada made it clear that including the character was simply not viable.

"The more we discussed it, the more unlikely it became," Wada explained. "The development time and costs would not have been manageable." Even if the idea of adding her through a DLC was considered, "but since it is not possible for us to release P3R with the female protagonist in this window, we just can’t do it," he reportedly said. "I'm really sorry to all of the fans who were holding out hope, but it is likely never going to happen."

Given the popularity of P3P's Female MC, many fans expected her to be playable in Persona 3 Reload, either at launch or as post-release content. However, but it looks to be way too unlikely to happen based on Wada’s latest comments. Wada had previously mentioned that including her in the game would have been much more challenging and costly than creating the Episode Aigis DLC.

"For a female protagonist, I am sorry to say that unfortunately, there is no possibility," Wada reportedly explained in an earlier interview with Famitsu. "The development time and cost would be several times longer than Episode Aigis, and the hurdles would be too high."