Persona 3 The Movie

Persona 3 The Movie is an animated movie series based on the game Persona 3. The first movie, titled Persona 3 The Movie #1: Spring of Birth, was released on November 23, 2013, the second movie, Persona 3 The Movie #2: Midsummer Knight's Dream was released on June 7, 2014, the third movie, Persona 3 The Movie #3: Falling Down was released on April 4th, 2015, and the final movie, Persona 3 The Movie #4: Winter of Rebirth will be released on January 23, 2016. A teaser of the first movie was first shown as a 28 second scene at the end of Persona 4 The Animation -The Factor of Hope-.

Release Dates
Persona 3 The Movie #1: Spring of Birth Persona 3 The Movie #2: Midsummer Knight's Dream Persona 3 The Movie #3: Falling Down Persona 3 The Movie #4: Winter of Rebirth
 * Japan: November 23, 2013 (Theatrical Release)
 * Japan: May 14, 2014 (DVD / Blu-Ray Release)
 * International: May 20, 2014 (Imported DVD / Blu-Ray Release)
 * Japan: June 7, 2014 (Theatrical Release)
 * Japan: March 11, 2015 (DVD / Blu-Ray Release)
 * International: March 11, 2015 (Imported DVD / Blu-Ray Release)
 * Japan: April 4, 2015 (Theatrical Release)
 * Japan: January 20, 2016 (DVD / Blu-Ray Release)
 * International: January 20, 2016 (Imported Blu-Ray Release)
 * Japan: January 23, 2016 (Theatrical Release)

Plot
Makoto Yūki is an orphaned teenager who transfers to Gekkoukan High School, on Tatsumi Port Island and, much to his confusion, finds himself experiencing a supernatural phenomenon known as the Dark Hour. After witnessing his new Iwatodai dorm-mates being attacked by mysterious creatures known as Shadows, Makoto goes to their aid and inexplicably awakens to the power of his Persona. Makoto later joins a covert extra-curricular club at Gekkoukan High called SEES, whose members have but one goal: to rid the world of the Shadows.

Music
The Movie's soundtrack is composed by Shoji Meguro. Each movie is accompanied by a main theme, along with remixed tracks from the Persona 3 Original Soundtrack, though none of them appear in the films themselves with the exception of Spring of Birth's remix of Burn My Dread. The soundtrack for the movies will be included with the Blu-Ray / DVD release, including all original tracks made for the movies, but not remastered versions of songs from the Persona 3 soundtrack, such as Master of Shadow or That Which Escaped From Darkness. The themes for the movies are:


 * 1) Persona 3 The Movie #1: Spring of Birth
 * 2) * "More Than One Heart"
 * 3) * "Burn My Dread (Spring of Birth ver.)"
 * 4) * "More Than One Heart (Karaoke ver.)"
 * 5) * "Burn My Dread (Karaoke ver.)"
 * 6) Persona 3 The Movie #2: Midsummer Knight's Dream
 * 7) "Fate is In Our Hands"
 * 8) "Deep Breath Deep Breath (Lotus Juice Remix)
 * 9) "Mass Destruction (Lotus Juice Remix)
 * 10) "Fate is In Our Hands (Karaoke Ver.)"
 * 11) "One Single Word" (insert song)
 * 12) "One Hand, One Heartbeat" (insert song)
 * 13) Persona 3 The Movie #3: Falling Down
 * 14) * "Light in Starless Sky"
 * 15) * "Unavoidable Battle (Power Mix)"
 * 16) * "Living With Determination (Mellow Velvet Mix)"
 * 17) * "Light in Starless Sky (Karaoke Ver.)"
 * 18) * "One Determination" (insert song)
 * 19) * "Sound of the Beast" (insert song)
 * 20) * "Storm for a Butterfly" (insert song)
 * 21) Persona 3 The Movie #4: Winter of Rebirth
 * 22) * "My Testimony "
 * 23) * "Memories of You (Remix)"
 * 24) * "Burn My Dread -Last Battle- (Future Arrange)"
 * 25) * "My Testimony (Karaoke Ver.)"

Adaptation Differences
There are differences between the game and the movie.
 * Some characters' appearances are modified slightly, such as having darker hair or differently colored eyes.
 * SEES members don't get their weapons from the Police Station, instead the weapons they use are specially made by the Kirijo Group.
 * No items or fusion spells are used in battle.
 * There is no cut-in effect when a character first summons his/her Persona.
 * The protagonist gains new Personas after defeating a Shadow from a full-moon operation. The Persona's arcana depends on the defeated Shadow's arcana.
 * No Social Links are acquired in the movie, and Makoto does not regains the rest of the Arcanas.

Spring of Birth

 * All the major characters appear in the movie intro (except Aigis), while the anime cutscene at the beginning only shows the Protagonist, Yukari, Pharos, and Mitsuru.
 * Makoto doesn't interact much with other social link characters, only a few.
 * It is revealed in the movie that the first victim devoured by shadows in the anime cutscene was named Sakata Masashi.
 * In the anime cutscene he appears in Tatsumi Port Station, but in the movie, he appears somewhere in Port Island Station.
 * Some characters make a cameo appearance:
 * Bunkichi and Mitsuko make a cameo appearance during Fuuka's visit at their bookstore.
 * Koromaru and Maiko Oohashi make a cameo appearance together.
 * Ken Amada also appears briefly.
 * Kenji Tomochika appears in the arcade and after exam results are posted.
 * Kazushi Miyamoto makes a brief cameo after exam results are posted.
 * Hidetoshi Odagiri appears while interrogating one of the students of class 2-E.
 * Nozomi Suemitsu makes a brief cameo in Wild Duck Burger.
 * Aigis appears in a post-credits scene.
 * Junpei's Believe or Don't was not told in June 1, but in May.
 * While discussing about the ghost rumor from 2-E, their meeting was in Wild-Duck Burger instead of the dormitory.
 * Makoto does not accompany SEES during the June full moon operation due to his personality until he fully realizes his friends are in danger and he goes to save them.
 * This is first time where Makoto and Natsuki interact with each other, whereas that was not featured in the game.
 * In the movie, Natsuki heard the voice after witnessing the school transforming into Tartarus, but she heard it in the dormitory in the game.

Midsummer Knight's Dream

 * During the second movie intro, the differences between the movie and game are:
 * Mitsuru, Akihiko and Junpei start battling the Hierophant Shadow without Makoto nor Yukari.
 * Makoto and Yukari were captured by the Lovers Shadow until they come back to their senses and defeat it, as opposed to the game where they are manipulated after defeating the Hierophant Shadow.
 * Some characters make a cameo appearance:
 * Noriko Kashiwagi makes a cameo appearance in Yakushima.
 * Mamoru Hayase makes a cameo in a kendo tournament.
 * Ryoji Mochizuki appears in a post-credits scene.
 * The Beautiful Lady? does not appear during Operations: Babe Hunt.
 * Mitsuru's father, Takeharu told SEES the truth what happened ten years ago instead of Mitsuru.
 * During their trip on Yakushima, Shadows appears while Makoto and Yukari are at the beach, and Aigis comes to their rescue.
 * After SEES returns from Yakushima, Mitsuru stated Ken's mother was his only relative, but in the game, Ken has a distant relative who had been taking care of him.
 * Ken and Koromaru joined SEES in August and battled against the Arcana Chariot and Arcana Justice.
 * At the same time, Shinjiro burst through the locked door to save SEES.
 * He also joined SEES earlier than in the game, which was in September.
 * The SEES members see Takaya's Persona for the first time in August, earlier than in the game and similar to the manga.
 * Junpei was not kidnapped by Chidori during the September operation against the Arcana Hermit.
 * This is the first time SEES witness Shinjiro's Persona going berserk. This was not featured in the game or the manga.
 * During October 4, the difference between the movie and game:
 * As Shinjiro attempts to summon his Persona, Takaya shoots him in the stomach instead of his right knee.
 * Shinjiro's death was more gory and dark than the anime cutscene of the game.
 * In the movie version, he died in his childhood friend's arms instead of standing up and taking a few steps before collapsing to the floor.
 * Shinjiro's funeral was attended on October 15 instead of October 5 in director's cut version, and in the original film it was October 7.

Falling Down

 * In the beginning of the movie, SEES split up into two team, with Akihiko and Ken battling against Takaya and Jin a while the rest of the members facing the Arcana Hanged Man.
 * Junpei was kidnapped by Chidori and she is later captured by SEES in November, instead of September.
 * Takaya and Jin just run away instead of jumping from Moolight Bridge like in the game.
 * The scene where Pharos leaves Makoto's psyche is similar to the manga adaptation except his appearance does not change.
 * SEES does not do a group photo in this movie version.
 * Ikutsuki never mentioned he tampered the recording video of the incident from ten years until Yukari confirmed it when having a talk with Mitsuru at Kyoto.
 * Makoto meet Ryoji earlier before he transferring to Gekkoukan High.
 * Akihiko, Ken, Fuuka, Yukari and Mitsuru's Personas do not evolve into their Ultimate Persona's, unlike in the game where they do as the story progresses through October to November. Junpei is the only person who received his Ultimate Persona.
 * Some characters make a cameo appearance:
 * Chihiro Fushimi makes a cameo appearance at Gekkoukan High School and Student Council.
 * President Tanaka makes a cameo appearance.
 * Rio Iwasaki along with Saori Hasegawa appear briefly in the hallway.
 * Yuko Nishiwaki makes a cameo appearance.
 * Bebe appears in the Home Economics club.
 * Keisuke Hiraga appears briefly in the Art club.
 * Chidori leave the hospital with Takaya and Jin when SEES are still at their school field trip on November 21.
 * Aigis appears always following Makoto everywhere during the Kyoto school field rather than give him some space to spend time with the guys.
 * Natsuki started to transfer different school in November instead of October.
 * Makoto and Ryoji friendship deepen and always hanging out together unlike in the game where Ryoji sometimes becomes distant towards him.
 * Chidori does not temporality control Fuuka and tell them where she is.
 * SEES battles Takaya and Jin for the second time rather than January seperately.
 * Mitsuru discovered the connection between Strega and Ikutsuki in November instead of January, where Jin tells SEES about how Strega were involved in experiments by the Kirijo Group and Ikutsuki.

Winter of Rebirth

 * SEES battles Ryoji earlier in December 2, but they lost to him instead of January 31.
 * Ryoji completely destroyed the Moonlight Bridge, in which never happened in the original game.
 * Ryoji show Makoto his true form in his incomplete form of Death ten years ago instead of a form that resemble Thanatos in the original game.
 * Takaya and Jin reappear in December instead of January 31.
 * Some characters make a cameo appearance:
 * Kikuno Saikawa makes a cameo appearance
 * Akinari Kamiki appears at the Naganaki shrine.
 * Mr. Ekoda, Mr. Ono, and Ms. Miyahara can be seen during Mitsuru's speech.

Trivia

 * Every time a Shadow from a full-moon operation are defeated, a blue butterfly appears at the scenes.
 * In Falling Down, it is revealed that a blue butterfly sort of reflects on how Makoto obtain the Arcanas and Pharos regaining a fragments of his memories.
 * Although Rio and Saori from Persona 3 Portable appear in the third movie, they don't appear in the original game or the male route, only appearing in the Female Protagonist's route.