Full Moon Operations are the major and main turn of events in the Persona 3 series. Full Moon Operations occur once a month during every full moon. In this event, one or two unusually strong shadows will appear. Also, during this day, the protagonist or female protagonist can't do anything after school or in the evening and must go back to the dorm. The Velvet Room is inaccessible and in order to prevent a softlock, the game will not allow the protagonist to save it during a Full Moon Operation. The exception is the one on January 31st, as it instead locks the protagonist in Tartarus until they complete it. These battles have a significant standard level. If the full moon drops on Sundays or holidays, the protagonist or female protagonist must stay at the dorms. After completing each Full Moon Operation, new areas will open in Tartarus, although the party will be fatigued and cannot access them on the next day after the operation.
Full Moon Battles
| Enemy's Name | Arcana | Appearance | Location | Standard Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magician | Magician | April 9 | Dorm's Rooftop | ?? |
| Priestess | Priestess | May 9 | Monorail | 8 |
| Empress | Empress | June 8 | Tartarus' Entrance | 15 |
| Emperor | Emperor | June 8 | Tartarus' Entrance | 15 |
| Hierophant | Hierophant | July 7 | Shirakawa Boulevard | 21 |
| Lovers | Lovers | July 7 | Shirakawa Boulevard | 21 |
| Chariot | Chariot | August 6 | Underground Bunker | 32 |
| Justice | Justice | August 6 | Underground Bunker | 32 |
| Hermit | Hermit | September 5 | Paulownia Mall, Club Escapade | 40 |
| Fortune | Fortune | October 4 | Iwatodai Station | 46 |
| Strength | Strength | October 4 | Iwatodai Station | 46 |
| Jin Shirato | Hermit | November 3, January 31 | Moonlight Bridge, Tartarus | 53, 74 |
| Takaya Sakaki | Fortune | November 3, January 31 | Moonlight Bridge, Tartarus | 53, 75 |
| Hanged Man | Hanged Man | November 3 | Moonlight Bridge | 63 |
| Nyx Avatar | 0-XIII | January 31 | Top of Tartarus | 85 |
Trivia
- The full moon on December 2nd is not meant for battle. The same applies to the full moon on December 31st.
- The protagonists are free during December 2nd, December 31st and January 31st, even though the three of them fall on the full moon.
- On Full Moon Operations, the protagonist will default to "Good" status, regardless of their previous status.
- The Greater Shadow, Magician, is the only Shadow that the party doesn't fight with. Magician is killed in a cutscene by Death.
- The battle leading up to and with the Arcana Priestess is the only one that has a time limit: 8 minutes.
- Nyx Avatar can shift through multiple Arcanas. It has been shown to shift from Fool through Death.
- Although full moons always occurred once a month, 2 full moons fall in December. This is known as a blue moon. This is actually not an uncommon event in reality.