Persona 3 Reload could ditch its female protagonist, and fans ain't happy

News
By published

Where art thou, Kotone?

Persona 3 Reload
(Image credit: Atlus)

Persona 3 fans are very worried the female protagonist from Portable won't make it into the Reload remake.

Yesterday debuted a surprise Persona 3 remake reveal by way of a full announcement trailer. We say "surprise," because it's clear someone messed up and uploaded the trailer early, as it was very quickly scrubbed from the internet, but not before Persona fans had time to thoroughly peruse and analyze it.

Persona 3 fans have found the trailer to be lacking one key feature: a female protagonist. The leaked trailer showed HD Makoto - the protagonist from the original Persona 3 - in all his glory, but nowhere was the widely beloved female protagonist Kotone, introduced in the PSP-exclusive Portable version of Persona 3.

Long-time Persona fans are understandably pretty worried Kotone might be left out of the Reload remake entirely. Below is one such example of a very worried fan, very concerned that Atlus has come down with selective amnesia and chose to forget that they introduced a fantastic protagonist years ago.

If you need evidence of just how widely loved Kotone is, look at the tweet below. The alternate female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable is generally viewed as one of the best things about the classic Persona game, introduced to give veteran players a brand new way to experience the JRPG with new dialog and story routes.

Oh yeah, and someone's locked their grandma away until Atlus announces Kotone is in Persona 3 Remake. They're kidding, obviously, but if you have locked someone away until Atlus makes the announcement, please go and check on them right now.

Speaking of characters though, Persona 3 Reload fans are loving the HD glow ups for characters like Makoto and Yukari, but they're a little less impressed with Junpei's redesign. Everyone agrees there's just something missing with poor old Junpei, who really can't catch a break.

Persona 3 Reload launches early in 2024 according to the leaked trailer, for PC and Xbox platforms. Here's hoping there's a PlayStation announcement somewhere in the near future, or else Persona 3 fans are going to have another thing to be very worried about.

Check out our Summer Game Fest 2023 guide for a look over all the games revealed yesterday that were actually planned to be revealed.

See more Games News
PRODUCTS
Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
Persona 4 Golden All-Out-Attack cut-in screenshot featuring Kanji, Yu, Chie, and Yukiko.
Persona 4's iconic singer confirms she's "recording for a new game," leaving JRPG fans wondering if a remake is finally on the cards
A screenshot from an animated cutscene in Persona 4 Golden, showing Teddie and protagonist Yu Narukami stood looking surprised.
Persona 4 fans are in shambles as website domain for "p4re" appears, potentially following in the footsteps of the Persona 3 Reload announcement
Silent Hill f
Silent Hill f writer says many of the franchise's female characters experience "a great deal of suffering," so he wants his protagonist "to be able to make her own decisions, for better or for worse"
Strohl, Gallica, the protagonist, and Hulkenberg in a Metaphor: ReFantazio anime cutscene screenshot.
2024's best single-player game Metaphor: ReFantazio threatens to be 2025's best multiplayer game as one modder works to add online co-op to the JRPG
Bloodborne
"Let me cope": Bloodborne 60fps mod creator hopes the remake is real this time as Sony seemingly sends a DMCA after yet another fan project
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth trailer screenshot showing a young woman in a green ceremonial dress dancing, a determined look upon her face as she smirks while staring ahead
Final Fantasy 7 Part 3 won't be a PS6 exclusive and it's been in the works for "about nine months already"
Latest in RPG
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
Reclaiming their crown, pacifist Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 player beats the whole RPG as "Merciful Henry": 1,741 strikes blocked, 472 knockouts, and zero kills
Top-down screenshot of Monsterpatch, showing a grid-based town with Pokemon-like creatures, GBC graphics and vegetations sprinkled about.
This cozy RPG promises a Pokemon and Stardew Valley mashup with "limitless customization," 208 monsters, and more, so no wonder its Kickstarter was funded in just 16 minutes
Dragon Age: The Veilguard art showing the RPG's companions grouped together
Dragon Age: The Veilguard director is leading an unannounced game for Wizards of the Coast, which recently hinted at more Baldur's Gate
A large, muscly bloke eating noodles at a bar while two people point pistols at him from behind in Cyberpunk 2077.
The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 developer enters into partnership with Pokemon Go owner to create a new game "set within one of CD Projekt's IPs"
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
The Witcher 4 and Naughty Dog's Intergalactic are reportedly skipping 2026 and won't be ready until at least the year after
Latest in News
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"
More about rpg
Pillars of Eternity

10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Top-down screenshot of Monsterpatch, showing a grid-based town with Pokemon-like creatures, GBC graphics and vegetations sprinkled about.

This cozy RPG promises a Pokemon and Stardew Valley mashup with "limitless customization," 208 monsters, and more, so no wonder its Kickstarter was funded in just 16 minutes
The Bondsman

Hollywood legend Kevin Bacon pitched his new "what the f***" demon hunter TV series to Amazon himself – which already has plans for season 2: "What’s that quote? 'Everybody loves bacon'"
See more latest
Most Popular
The Bondsman
Hollywood legend Kevin Bacon pitched his new "what the f***" demon hunter TV series to Amazon himself – which already has plans for season 2: "What’s that quote? 'Everybody loves bacon'"
Paranormal Activity
Paranormal Activity series writer jokes about how writing follow-ups to the hit found-footage horror "was a thankless task" because of the illusion that the movies are real: "'Oh, it’s so easy! You improvise!'"
Andor season 2
Andor showrunner hopes that the Disney Plus show's success helps convince Lucasfilm to sign off on either a Star Wars horror movie or sitcom
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers with the rest of the gang during the superhero movie, The Avengers.
The OG Fox X-Men are back, with Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and more joining the cast of Avengers: Doomsday alongside a whole new Avengers team to take on Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
The Handmaid's Tale season 6 first look: Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne
The Handmaid's Tale will go back to basics with a "classic" series finale that's been years in the making
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs