| Makoto Yuki | Gallery |
"Time never waits. It delivers all equally to the same end. You, who wish to safeguard the future, however limited it may be... You will be given one year; go forth without falter, with your heart as your guide..."
The protagonist of Persona 3, canonically known as Makoto Yuki (having been used in other media and later confirmed as the default name in the 2023 re-release of Persona 3 Portable),[1][2][3] is a transfer student enrolling in Gekkoukan High School in Iwatodai City. He is an orphan whose parents died on the Moonlight Bridge in their car during a fatal incident a decade prior to the game.
In Persona 3 Portable, he has a female counterpart.
Quick Answers
What is the backstory of Makoto Yuki, the protagonist of Persona 3?
Who are the parents of Makoto Yuki and how did they die?
What is the significance of the Moonlight Bridge in Makoto Yuki's life?
How does Makoto Yuki's character evolve in the Persona 3 series?
What is the relationship between Makoto Yuki and his female counterpart in Persona 3 Portable?
Appearances
- Persona 3 / FES / Portable / Reload: Protagonist (Male) (Defaults to Makoto Yuki in the 2023 release of Portable and Reload)
- The Answer / Episode Aigis: Boss, as ???
- Persona 3 Portable Drama CD Volume 2
- Persona 3 (Manga): Protagonist, as Minato Arisato (有里 湊)
- Persona 3 The Movie: Protagonist, as Makoto Yūki (結城 理)
- Persona 3: the Weird Masquerade -Ao no Kakusei- / -Gunjou no Meikyuu- / -Souen no Kesshou-/ Chapter 4: Ai no Seiyaku/Final Chapter: Hekikuu no Kanata e: Protagonist (Male), as Sakuya Shiomi (汐見 朔也)
- Persona 3 Reload: Beginnings: Protagonist, as Makoto Yuki
- Persona 3 Broken Shadow
- Persona 3 Comic Anthology: Memento Mori: Protagonist
- Persona 3 Portable Dengeki Comic Anthology: Protagonist
- Tartarus Theater
- Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight: Protagonist, as Makoto Yuki
- Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth: Protagonist (P3 Route), Party Member (P4 Route)
- Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth - Side:P3: Protagonist
- Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth - Side:P4: Supportive Character
- Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth: Playable Character
- Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth Roundabout Special: Main Character
- Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight: DLC partner, as Makoto Yuki
- Persona 5 Royal: DLC Boss Fight
Design
Persona 3/FES/Portable
Makoto Yuki has dark blue hair, unkempt at the front with bangs covering his right eye, blue eyes, and a light build, being average height. He is often shown with his hands in his pockets (except when holding weapons), even while running, and leaning slightly back. He frequently listens to his earphones. Shigenori Soejima designed Makoto first and formed designs for other characters around him. He maintains an air of neutrality, keeping with the tradition of the Megami Tensei franchise of the protagonist being typical yet a hero, while still giving off an air of coolness. Earlier designs had him looking mature and collected, based on the trope of "cliche cool guy."[4]
At school and in Tartarus, he wears the school uniform of Gekkoukan High, accented with a loose black bow tie, a neck-strap mp3 player (Sony's NW-S20x series), and clip-on earphones (Audio-Technica model ATH-EM700 SV). On weekends off, he is shown wearing a light gray double-breasted jacket, dark pants, and a khaki turtleneck sweater, along with his earphones. On days off during the summer, he is shown wearing a navy blue and white T-shirt along with skinny black work pants. He is never seen without his earphones except when on trips in situations where they would be inappropriate, such as being at the beach or hot springs.
Ten years before the events of Persona 3, he has slightly shorter hair, his bangs hanging just above his right eye. He sports a navy blue elementary school uniform, a red tie, short black pants, white socks, and navy blue shoes.
Reload
In Persona 3 Reload, he is given a new winter outfit, wearing a white-sleeved shirt with a blue line pattern on his sleeves and tan pants. Also, on days off during the summer, unlike in the original game, he wears a white T-shirt with a a blue stripe pattern in the center, tan pants, and blue and white tennis shoes. In addition to his clothes, he wears a wristwatch/wristband on his left wrist.
He is also given new battle gear after the third Full Moon Operation, wearing a black blazer jacket with a single gray stripe along with a zipper pocket, a shoulder guard labeled "3," and black gloves.
Dancing in Moonlight
In Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight, he wears his Gekkoukan High School uniform except with the sleeves are rolled up, and a white T-shirt that says "Music." He also has a pair of black headphones around his neck, and bright blue sneakers with multicolored spattered spots and orange laces.
Personality
"I don't think just getting along and having conversations makes you companions. Then again just gathering for a common goal doesn't seem to do the trick either."
Art of the protagonist from Persona 3 Manga Chapitre 6.
In Persona 3, he is a silent protagonist, aside from technically speaking in battle in certain instances. While being a silent protagonist, he is very stoic, reserved and calm, gathered by the fact that he's faced death and his own mortality: he remains unmoved even when guns are pointed at him (such as by Aigis herself,) as well as walking under a green sky and being surrounded by blood pools and coffins everywhere at the beginning of Persona 3. He appears very introverted, distant and aloof since he only observes the conversations of his party members and only speaks when someone is directed at him for his opinion on the matter. At one point, Yukari Takeba raises her voice at him in frustration, calling him "Mr. Perfect" and saying nothing ever fazes him. She then apologizes for her behavior; he comforts her and she says that he "really is one-of-a-kind." His teacher Isako Toriumi comments that he is "kinda quiet, but real mature and intense looking (and hawt)" and that he uses proper grammar and punctuation online. Junpei Iori comments that all he does is wander around and talk to people, referencing what is commonly done during gameplay.[5]
The protagonist has been praised for his natural talent, as his involvement and leadership have helped the group where it counts: during the Arcana Priestess mission, upon the emergency of having to stop a moving train, his instincts would help him navigate the controls with ease. This would be remarked on by other members of the group, even making Junpei Iori jealous of him. This is also a byproduct of his perception of life, more specifically from the result of having kept Death itself sealed within him for a majority of his life: Junpei himself would later see the protagonist eye to eye and understand his abilities, saying that he "harnessed [Death's] power and made it his own."
That helps him support his Social Links when resolving their problems, primarily by having them face their mortality (whether it's their actual or metaphorical death) thanks to his help. The protagonist does so by being supportive of them, as the correct dialogue choices usually involve him agreeing with them directly.
The protagonist in Persona 3 Reload.
Many of his personality traits and reactions to certain situations are ultimately based on the player's actions and decisions. The primary choice has him being enthusiastic, upbeat, and kind, engaging with as many Social Links as he can, each one rewarding him with stronger power in Persona fusion and combat. Likewise, the player can make him pessimistic, morbid, and lonely, barely engaging with Social Links. In normal conversation, the protagonist's dialogue choices can range from attentive to unobservant; the latter is usually met with negative response, advising the protagonist tries to enjoy life more. One of the protagonist's most common responses is "I don't care." Even when speaking to Pharos, the protagonist can respond saying that he doesn't care about his friends. These possible combinations of traits provide a wide range of various interpretations of his characterization. The same goes for any possible romantic interests the player may desire to partner him with. The player can choose from Yukari, Fuuka, Mitsuru, Aigis, Chihiro, Ms. Toriumi, Yuko and Elizabeth.
By the end of the game, as noted by Ryoji Mochizuki, the protagonist has found the answer to "life's greatest question," most likely referring to what the meaning of life is. As per the themes of Persona 3 and Aigis' own speech in the final scene, the answer is that simply having someone to protect is what gives one's life purpose. This is represented by the protagonist's resolve against Nyx, choosing to sacrifice himself by sealing it, all thanks to the many bonds he's forged with his friends.
The protagonist on his laptop.
Hobby and interest-wise, he may enjoy black comedy, evidenced by the "morgue" joke as one of the possible dialog options. He is also open to playing video games such as MMORPGs, and on free days, the protagonist can choose to "spend the entire day online" with the Hermit Social Link. Depending on the player's choice, he may join a running, swimming or kendo club, implying that he at least tolerates these physical activities, keeping up and never complaining in their associated Social Links. If he joins the music club, he' is seen playing the violin.
In Persona 3 FES: The Answer, it's revealed the protagonist sacrificed himself for his friends and wished for them to continue living a happy life. He never wanted to be brought back, nor did he want his friends to fight over him. He only wished that they could face forward with their own lives and keep their promise to him.
In the manga adaptation, named Minato Arisato, he is shown to be fairly calm and passive and is characterized as being drowsy or tired along with having a comically large appetite. Much like his other incarnations, he speaks only when addressed, and appears to be on particularly good terms mostly with Junpei Iori and Ryoji Mochizuki, just as they are with each other.
In Persona Q, where he is referred to simply as P3 hero by default on StreetPass, he appears to have a combination of traits from all of his iterations ip to that point. He is seen as apathetic and blunt, often going straight to the point, but on many occasions shows a gluttonous side due to an unusually high metabolism that lets him eat without gaining much weight. He also shows a calm and quick side to himself during intense situations, such as forming a plan to separate the party into two groups to distract an F.O.E in the Inaba Pride Exhibit. While he comes off as somewhat aloof, he expresses an interest in strengthening his bonds with SEES, at one point pondering that simply being friends doesn't make you companions, but just having a common goal doesn't do the trick either, implying that both may be the solution.
In Persona Club P3 Book, everyone at school thinks that he's too quiet, something that he himself admits and realizes whenever he is asked something; the only answers he ever comes up with are "Yes," "No" or "Whatever." This led him to sometimes being misunderstood as a particularly mean person.
Persona 3 The Movie
"I don't really care. Is dying that scary to you?"
In the film series, Makoto Yuki is depicted as being much darker, ambivalent to the point of apathy. According to Noriaki Akitaya, the director of the movie, Makoto's characterization is one of his biggest challenges because his initial personality is decided by the players. This led him to incorporate mainly the most general traits of the protagonist from fan reaction to form Makoto's character.
Makoto's parents burn to death in a car crash.
Severely traumatized by witnessing the deaths of his parents as a child to the point of indifference, he has extremely neutral viewpoints on life and death and is uncaring of either. Without a will to live or a will to die, he once told Yukari that he doesn't care if he dies. Because of his unnerving lack of interest and motivation, he often acts only when told to do so and takes on tasks with little, if any sense of self-preservation. This is the main reason he allied himself with SEES, as he was requested to by Shuji Ikutsuki and had no reason to refuse the offer. Ironically, it is this apathetic attitude that allows him to fight Shadows so effectively; he battles without concern for his safety and cares little if he is wounded or exhausted by a fight, allowing him to take massive risks and deal immense damage.
Makoto smiling.
Despite the fact that Makoto cares little for his own safety, he breaks through his stony and blunt attitude whenever his friends are in danger and even worries for their safety when any of them are put in a life-threatening situation, mainly because the thought of them dying reminds him of his parents' fate. Makoto eventually realizes the importance of lives and the bonds that he has with his friends, but as a result, he becomes more and more hesitant to defeat the Arcana Shadows and end the Dark Hour, fearing that after everything is over, he will return to his lonely and listless existence. As such, he tends to become confused and unfocused during battles against Arcana Shadows.
After defeating all Arcana Shadows and recovering from Ikutsuki's betrayal, Makoto once again distances himself from his friends as he believes they will eventually disappear, remembering Pharos' words before he disappeared: that forming bonds with others would only bring pain, since he would inevitably lose them. However, Makoto slowly opens up again after meeting Ryoji, who was insistent on becoming his friend. But one month later, Makoto became greatly shocked about his new friend's true identity, and the revelation about Nyx's existence and the Fall made him as much as paralyzed by fear as the other SEES members. But then he remembers his mother's last words and Elizabeth's visit makes him realize how everything he experienced during the last year had made him feel truly alive again. By the time of the final battle against Nyx, Makoto's care for his friends had grown so deep that he was even willing to sacrifice himself to save them and the world, leading up to his resolution to become the Great Seal.
Before his death, he makes it to the rooftop and meets with Aigis. As he starts to lose consciousness, his friends appear, remembering their promise to meet together on the roof. Having been able to see them one last time, he dies with a smile on his face.
Profile
Persona 3
The Journey
"It seems that, in addition to Death, fate has also dealt you the wild card. ...You must accept your destiny. Our contract has been fulfilled... I have completed my role as well. ...You were truly a remarkable guest."
Persona 3 Movie 1 - Arrival English
The protagonist experiencing the Dark Hour.
On April 7th, 2009, the protagonist is first seen departing for the Dorm in Port Island, but arrives late at midnight due to the successful suicide of a young man who flung himself onto the train tracks. During the walk to the dorm, he experiences the Dark Hour and is confused upon the sudden change of the surroundings and the sudden halt of his earphones functioning; though he takes the hour in stride, seemingly unaffected. Upon reaching the dorm, he encounters a mysterious boy, who promptly gives him a contract to sign, providing players the opportunity to name him.
The protagonist transfers to Gekkoukan High School the next day. His invitation to study as a transfer student is later revealed that due to his capability to adapt to the Dark Hour, he was moved to the co-ed dorm so his potential can be monitored.
Persona 3 Movie 6 - Persona English
The protagonist awakens his Persona.
During a full moon the next night, one of the Shadows attacks, causing the protagonist to awaken his initial Persona, Orpheus, using an Evoker. The protagonist has minimal difficulty using the Evoker because he is not afraid of death. The summoning sequence, however, was interrupted as Thanatos bursts forth from Orpheus' head, tearing apart Orpheus and slaying the Shadows. After dispatching the remaining Shadows, the protagonist fainted and was taken to the hospital where he is hospitalized for a week in a coma. While unconscious, he awakens in the Velvet Room, where he learns about his abilities. After recovering from his short coma, the protagonist later learns about the nature of the Shadows and the existence of SEES, and eventually joins SEES. The protagonist is the only character throughout the game with access to the Wild Card ability.
The protagonist's past is later revealed after Aigis' memories are restored. In the year 1999, when Death escaped the Kirijo Group, Aigis was dispatched and was in hot pursuit of the Shadow. It is during Aigis' confrontation with Death, during the Dark Hour, that the protagonist's parents died in a burning car crash. Presumably, the protagonist survived due to his potential, allowing him to be active during the Dark Hour. Aigis, knowing that she could not defeat Death, sealed a portion of Death inside the protagonist, thus amplifying the protagonist's capabilities of summoning multiple Personas.
Ryoji trying to convince the protagonist to kill him so SEES doesn't have to live their lives in fear until the end.
On December 31, Ryoji asks for SEES to make their decision and invites himself into the protagonist's room and sits on his bed. Killing Ryoji would result in erasing the memories of the Dark Hour (the cause of all their pain and suffering), allowing the members of SEES to live their lives as normal high-school students until the arrival of Nyx on the promised day. In an attempt to persuade the protagonist to kill him, Ryoji transforms into his true form as Thanatos, bringer of death. Should the protagonist accept his offer, the SEES members will live on as normal without any memories of the Dark Hour and the Fall and will live on until Nyx appears and annihilates humanity, in which the protagonist and his friends spend their last hours singing karaoke. Making the appropriate decision of declining Ryoji's offer to kill him results in him providing the members of SEES with useful information regarding a confrontation with Nyx and also secures the normal ending. When Ryoji leaves, he tells them to "look forward to the next year," presumably indicating that he, himself, hopes that they can put a stop to Nyx, as well. Ryoji is now reported to transfer to another school and vanishes, ready to bring forth the Fall as the Nyx Avatar.
Persona 3 - Nyx Fight
The protagonist confronts god of death Nyx.
In SEES' final confrontation with Nyx, specifically Nyx Avatar, the bonds he has forged with SEES and his other friends give him the power to fight the sorrow, depression and apathy of humankind, which were what drew Nyx to Earth, by letting him create the final arcana, the Universe Arcana with the help of Igor. With the power of the Universe, and the cheering of his comrades he ascends to Nyx' true body, the moon, to combat Nyx itself in a one-on-one battle. After being downed and uplifted multiple times by the SEES members' prayers and Nyx's attacks, he eventually reaches his full potential and performs the Great Seal to miraculously seal Nyx, preventing the Fall.
After the battle, Ryoji's voice is heard congratulating SEES. Ryoji claims that the protagonist has "found the answer to life's greatest question." As the Dark Hour and Tartarus disappear, the protagonist is seen returning with a faint smile.
Aigis with the protagonist in his final moments.
The protagonist clings to life for just over a month after fighting Nyx. He, unlike the others, retains his memories regarding the Dark Hour and Nyx in order to keep the promise he made to meet his friends on Graduation Day. After saying goodbye to everyone and all of his Social Links around the school and city, once his oath is fulfilled, he "falls asleep" in Aigis' lap on the roof of the school, smiling peacefully in the warm sunset surrounded by windmills. Aigis swears that she will live her life protecting him, unaware that he is dying at that very moment.
The Answer
"The day he fell asleep... We brought him back to our dorm, fear beginning to well up within us. And the next morning, our fears became reality, and he was lost to us."
In the playable epilogue of Persona 3 FES, it is revealed that the protagonist died the day after his sleep, leading to the members of SEES' confusion regarding his cause of death, as the doctor cannot find any unusual symptoms before his death, leading to speculation that it was some acute case of severe exhaustion. Everyone is devastated, especially Aigis, who has slipped into a depression, and Yukari, who is in denial that he died and, after Aigis awakens to the Wild Card, becomes belligerent and emotionally unstable. After the defeat of Nyx and the death of the protagonist, Aigis was the one who kept his Evoker, upon witnessing the Abyss of Time, the remaining members of SEES encounter a recurring silhouette resembling the protagonist. However, whenever they come into contact, the silhouette flees.
Persona 3- Reload -Episode- Aigis- - Vs The Protagonist Boss Battle
??? fights SEES.
"This is the reason for everything... From the Abyss of Time's failure to disappear, to the presence of Shadows... This... was born from all of you."
It is not until venturing into the deepest area of the Abyss of Time (Empyrean) that the silhouette is revealed to be a shadow resembling the protagonist's appearance. It manifests through the negative emotion and urge of seeing the protagonist one more time deep within the members of SEES. Making its entrance, the shadow challenges SEES, copying their Personas (all of which are colored with a grayish tint) except for Psyche and Juno, retaining the Wild Card ability, and several attacks of the protagonist. After its defeat, the shadow dissolves into "letters," forging unknown words and butterflies, although “DEATH” seems to be what the letters initially coming out of his fingertips are spelling. In its remake, the shadow only dissolves into blue butterflies after it's defeated by SEES. As it's dissolving, Aigis reaches her hand towards it until it completely vanished.
The sacrificed protagonist acting as the Great Seal to save life and humanity from death.
The "real" protagonist is later seen in the past, where he seals Nyx. In order to seal Nyx, the protagonist sacrificed his life to become the Great Seal. He was, however, capable of retaining his consciousness long enough to fulfill his oath between the members of SEES to meet again on Graduation Day. The protagonist is shown as a statue, crucified and bound to the door between Nyx and humanity. It is later revealed that Nyx was only awakened because Erebus, a grand being manifested from humanity's grief and negative emotions, was reaching out to Nyx to bring the Fall. The protagonist wasn't trying to seal Nyx, he was acting as a barrier between Nyx and Erebus. After defeating Erebus and realizing the protagonist's purpose, the remaining members of SEES swore to help him bear the burden by making the most out of their own lives.
Persona 3 The Movie
Personas Used
Persona 4
"A soul slumbers at the ends of the world, that of a young man who devoted himself to becoming a seal. That soul is risking itself to prevent mankind, who has lost the joy of living, from calling down ultimate destruction."
The protagonist is briefly mentioned in Persona 4 in a conversation between the protagonist of Persona 4 and Margaret, after her defeat as an optional boss in Heaven. Margaret states that her sister, Elizabeth, left her position as Igor's assistant to find a way to free "The Blue-Haired" boy from the seal.[6]
Persona 4 Arena
He is mentioned in Persona 4 Arena by the returning Persona 3 characters, as Yu Narukami reminds them of him due to not only his Wild Card ability, but also due to his understanding of bonds with people.
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
The P3 hero and his teammates are transferred into an alternate reality of Yasogami High School where they meet with two people, Rei and Zen. They later meet the Investigation Team in the labyrinth You in Wonderland and decide to join forces to defeat the guardians and dissolve the world so they can return to their home.
In this game, the player can choose to either play as the P3 or P4 hero.
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
The P3 hero along with the rest of SEES were exploring Tartarus one day, but suddenly, the floor collapsed with the only exit being the roof of the staircase. He also accidentally dropped his Evoker at the entrance of the movie world, leaving him unable to summon his Persona.
In the labyrinth A.I.G.I.S, the Persona 3 cast states that their leader was missing and was somewhere in the labyrinth. In reality, he and Aigis were captured by the Overseer and were on their way to escaping the research lab. He is later found defending Aigis from a legion of KNS-1000 who tracked the duo down and cornered them, in which Aigis ran out of power after overheating due to activating Orgia mode to destroy the drones. Since he did not have his Evoker with him, he was unable to summon his Persona and it left the two severely outnumbered and overwhelmed.
The party helps him fend off the drones, and in the middle, he encountered the P3P heroine who also came to save him. After he and Aigis were rescued and returned to the cinema lobby, P3 hero heard the situation regarding P3P heroine. Both he and she admit they felt nostalgic the moment they first met despite not knowing one another. Learning that even though their position as leader and comrades are the same, neither he nor her exist in each other's world, he concludes that the P3P heroine is the alternate version of himself and vice versa. He then joins the party along with Aigis. He and Aigis are the last members to join the party in the game.
Unlike most other installments, the P3 hero is not silent and can speak in full sentences. He also learns three unison skills to attack Shadows, which he can access with the following characters: P5 hero, P3P heroine and Yu Narukami.
After returning back to reality after the final battle, the P3 hero receives a DVD from an unknown source. Despite Junpei thinking that it’s porn, it is actually a sci-fi movie. The other members of SEES bring food and drinks, and settle in to watch with Mitsuru’s permission.
Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight
The protagonist, going by the name "Makoto Yuki," appears as a playable character in the spin-off, Dancing In Moonlight, which is set during an unknown period in Persona 3. It is implied that this period is just before October 4th, but it is not confirmed.
Yuki has two themes in this game "Brand New Days (Yuyoyuppe Remix)," a remix of the ending theme of Persona 3 FES: The Answer, and "Mass Destruction," a merger between the main battle theme of Persona 3 and the rearranged variant of The Answer. "Brand New Days" is most likely a reference to his fate and "Mass Destruction" was more than likely chosen as all protagonists dance to a battle theme.
When dancing with partners, he is normally the center of attention, most likely having others sync up with him. When dancing with most female party members he takes their hand, however with men he dances in his own bubble. But when dancing with Junpei they always end with a high-five.
Unlike the protagonist seen in Persona 3, Yuki of Dancing in Moonlight is very animated, as he is most often seen break dancing, doing spins, or doing cartwheels. He is also seen smiling a lot.
Persona 5 Royal
The protagonist in P5R
The protagonist is a DLC boss as part of the Challenge Battle mode in the Velvet Room. He can be fought on two different difficulties, Level 50 and Level ???, and his strategies will slightly vary depending on which level he is fought at. His roster of Personas consists of Orpheus, Attis, Thanatos, Siegfried and Messiah.
Quotes
- "Orpheus!" (or any other Persona’s name) (Enemy weak to attack/Critical with Phys skill)
- "Persona!" (Using Persona skill)
- "Come forth!" (Using Persona skill)
- "Take this!" (Heal a party member)
- "Here!" (Using an item)
- "Let's do this, leader!" (Battle start, with P4 hero as Leader)
- "Let's go, Yukari!" (Battle start, with Yukari)
- "You ready, Junpei?" (Battle start, with Junpei)
- "Akihiko-senpai!" (Battle start, with Akihiko)
- "Heh, is that so?" (Battle start, responding to Mitsuru)
- "... did you just mess up?" (Battle start, responding to Aigis)
- "I'm counting on you." (Battle start, responding to Ken)
- "I'll be okay." (Battle start, responding to Shinjiro)
- "Ugh, this is bad." (Battle start, Enemy Advanced)
- "A table... something about the way it moves..." (Battle start, fighting Laughing/Sleeping Table)
- "Hmmm... there's something written on that fish." (Battle start, fighting Calm Pesce)
- "Another bird... it looks fast." (Battle start, fighting Jupiter Eagle)
- "A sword Shadow, huh...?" (Battle start, fighting Justice Sword)
- "A lion... ROAR! Just kidding." (Battle start, fighting Enslaved Beast)
- "A scale Shadow... hm..." (Battle start, fighting Heat Balance)
- "A beetle Shadow..." (Battle start, fighting Burning Beetle)
- "It looks cute, but don't be fooled." (Battle start, fighting Possessive/Blind Cupid)
- "A crown Shadow... its spells are tough." (Battle start, fighting Spurious Book)
- "A boulder Shadow... looks hard." (Battle start, fighting Autonomic/Idle Basalt)
- "That giant king again?" (Battle start, fighting Gorgeous King)
- "We've run into another dancer, I see." (Battle start, fighting Soul/Natural Dancer)
- "Hmm... are those all one Shadow?" (Battle start, fighting Whimsical Papillon)
- "Ugh, a Magus again? Watch out for its spells." (Battle start, fighting Wondrous Magus)
- "Another idol Shadow..." (Battle start, fighting Tranquil/Vehement Idol)
- "This one's a motherly Shadow..." (Battle start, fighting Elegant Mother)
- "Ugh, look at that thing squirm!" (Battle start, fighting Lustful Snake)
- "Don't be fooled by its looks!" (Battle start, fighting Protective Lexy)
- "It's the hole police!" (Battle start, fighting Bribed Fuzz)
- "A skewered Shadow... looks painful." (Battle start, fighting Trance Twins)
- "It looks cute... but don't be fooled." (Battle start, fighting Earnest Calocy)
- "There's that scarecrow again." (Battle start, fighting Phantom Mage/Master)
- "Wow... how does it fit in there...?" (Battle start, fighting Rainy Pot)
- "Nice statue. But it's a Shadow, sad to say." (Battle start, fighting Change Relic)
- "That bird... it's a raven, right?" (Battle start, fighting Black Raven/Amenti Raven)
- "One of those mist Shadows again..." (Battle start, fighting Rainy Brother 1/2)
- "An hourglass-like thing. That's a mouthful." (Battle start, fighting ???)
- "All those eyes... I wonder how its vision is..." (Battle start, fighting Fate Seeker/Soul Seeker)
- "It's the old man Shadow!" (Battle start, fighting Beastly Gigas/Immortal Gigas)
- "Just looking at that makes me feel queasy." (Battle start, fighting ???)
- "Now that's what I call a giant robot." (Battle start, fighting ???)
- "It's shaped like a DNA strand!" (Battle start, fighting Happy Gene)
- "My neck's gonna get sore from looking upwards." (Battle start, fighting Apostate Tower)
- "How does that tree survive in here?" (Battle start, fighting Inviting/Valuing Nyogo)
- "Nice statue. But it's a Shadow, sad to say." (Battle start, fighting Change Relic)
- "A samurai one. Very noble-looking." (Battle start, fighting Rain Leg Musha)
- "Oh, hey... a Merlion." (Battle start, fighting Wheel Shadow)
- "A dice Shadow." (Battle start, fighting Dice Shadow)
- "If I remember right, that's a sigil." (Battle start, fighting Purple Sigil)
- "It feels strange fighting a castle." (Battle start, fighting King Castle)
- "Don't horses need legs?" (Battle start, fighting Intrepid Knight)
- "Getting gored by those horns would hurt." (Battle start, fighting Minotaur Shadow)
- "We need to report--I mean, defeat him!" (Battle start, fighting Jotun of Power/Grief)
- "A wild Drive, huh? Not like my Wild Card, I take it." (Battle start, fighting Rampage Drive)
- "It's a tank-type Shadow." (Battle start, fighting Arcane/Scarlet Turret)
- "All right, don't let it escape!" (Battle start, fighting Hand Shadow)
- "Is this what pastors are like?" (Battle start, fighting Merciful Clergyman)
- "So, if we fight this, we can save Rei-chan?" (Battle start, fighting Best Friend)
- "Definitely!" (Battle start, fighting Captor Spider)
- "Yeah, I'm ready for it!" (Battle start, fighting Clockwork God)
- "Persona!" (Skill, Orpheus/Messiah)
- "Orpheus!" (Skill, Orpheus)
- "Come, Orpheus!" (Skill, Orpheus)
- "I'm counting on you, Orpheus!" (Skill, Orpheus)
- "I'm counting on you, Messiah!" (Skill, Messiah)
- "Take this!" (Item, on Allies)
- "What the?" (Miss)
- "It dodged!" (Miss)
- "The more I attack, the more it hurts me..." (Curse)
- "Huh? There are enemies everywhere!" (Panic)
- "I can't feel my limbs!" (Paralysis)
- "Ugh... the poison's taking hold!" (Poison)
- "No... I can't eat anymore... (snores)" (Sleep)
- "Gah, what a cheap trick!" (Strength/Magic Bind)
- "I'll just have to grin and bear it." (Agility Bind)
- "Oh, Koromaru, are you worried about me?" (Low HP, responding to Koromaru)
- "It's okay, Aigis. I'm not as weak as I was." (Low HP, responding to Aigis)
- "Thanks, but there's no need to worry." (Low HP, responding to ???)
- "Ahaha. So you noticed... but I'm still in this." (Low HP, responding to ???)
- "Don't look so worried. I'm not out yet." (Low HP, responding to ???)
- "Sorry, I took too much damage." (Low HP, responding to ???)
- "You doing all right, Yukari?" (Low HP, Yukari)
- "Are you all right, Junpei?" (Low HP, Junpei)
- "You all right, Akihiko-senpai?" (Low HP, Akihiko)
- "Mitsuru-senpai, are you hurt?" (Low HP, Mitsuru)
- "Ken, are you going to be okay?" (Low HP, Ken)
- "I'm worried about Koromaru." (Low HP, Koromaru)
- "Aigis, are you all right?" (Low HP, Aigis)
- "Shinjiro-senpai, are you hurt bad?" (Low HP, Shinjiro)
- "You're our leader, so watch your health." (Low HP, P4 hero as Leader)
- "Zen, Rei-chan. You guys okay?" (Low HP, Zen and Rei)
- "Zen, you don't look so good." (Low HP, Zen, after clearing Inaba Pride Exhibit)
- "I'm out of energy. I need to watch that." (Low SP)
- "Sorry..." (Dies)
- "Leader, you all right?" (P4 hero as Leader dies)
- "Yukari! Are you okay?" (Yukari dies)
- "Junpei, hang in there!" (Junpei dies)
- "Akihiko-senpai! Are you all right?" (Akihiko dies)
- "Mitsuru-senpai!" (Mitsuru dies)
- "Koromaru! Grrrgh!" (Koromaru dies)
- "AIGIS!" (Aigis dies)
- "Ken... are you okay?!" (Ken dies)
- "No! Shinjiro-senpai!" (Shinjiro dies)
- "Zen! Rei-chan!" (Zen and Rei die)
- "Zen! You have to get back up!" (Zen dies, after clearing Inaba Pride Exhibit)
- "Leave it to me!" (Follow-up attack, prompt)
- "I'll finish this!" (Follow-up attack, accept)
- "I see an opening!" (Follow-up attack, accept)
- "Huh?" (Follow-up attack, no enemies defeated)
- "No way!" (Follow-up attack, no enemies defeated)
- "That was a good fight!" (Battle end)
- "That ended well!" (Battle end)
- "That one was tough!" (Battle end)
- "Good one, leader!" (Battle end, P3/P4 hero as Leader finishes)
- "Times like these make me feel good!" (Result)
- "Hey, that was quick." (Result, fighting low-leveled Shadows)
- "I need to get stronger." (Level up)
- "Good. Now I can fight better." (Level up)
- "I think my Persona's gotten stronger." (Level up)
- "My Persona's improved." (Level up)
- "My new power... Messiah..." (Level up, Orpheus turns into Messiah)
- "Hey, congrats on leveling up!" (Level up, P4 hero as Leader)
- "Looks like your Persona got stronger!" (Level up, P4 hero as Leader)
- "Phew... that was tough, but at least we won." (Result, fighting high-leveled Shadows)
- "Um... what does that mean?" (Merciful Clergyman battle, vow instated)
- "Ugh, that's some move!" (Merciful Clergyman battle, vow broken)
- "So, we're free to do whatever now?" (Merciful Clergyman battle, vow removed)
- "The red nurse is the healer!" (Kind Doctor battle, Calm Nurse supports Kind Doctor)
- "Ah, so the blue nurse is the support one!" (Kind Doctor battle, Caring Nurse supports Kind Doctor)
- "Phew... just the blue nurse and doctor left." (Kind Doctor battle, Calm Nurse defeated)
- "Ha... just the red nurse and doctor left." (Kind Doctor battle, Caring Nurse defeated)
- "All right, it's down to him." (Kind Doctor battle, both nurses defeated)
- "Let's take this slow and steady." (Kind Doctor battle, 75% HP)
- "Got it. Let's stay on guard." (Kind Doctor battle, 50% HP)
- "All right. If we keep this up, we can do it." (Kind Doctor battle, 25% HP)
- "I blacked out for a moment there." (Best Friend battle, Rabbit Foot attacks)
- "As long as that doesn't hit, we're fine." (Best Friend battle, Rabbit Foot misses)
- "It's combining the voice and leg moves!" (Best Friend battle, Rabbit Foot attacks)
- "We just have to keep at it, right?" (Best Friend battle, 75% HP)
- "I have a feeling it'll change tactics." (Best Friend battle, 50% HP)
- "Just a little more, and it'll all be over." (Best Friend battle, 25% HP)
- "Is Rei-chan's will that strong?" (Best Friend battle, Best Friend uses Endure)
- "Ah, so the head's our target!" (Captor Spider battle, weakness identified)
- "We can't hit its head like this!" (Captor Spider battle, head shielded)
- "Yeah, okay, let's focus on those." (Captor Spider battle, leg weakness identified)
- "There's our chance!" (Captor Spider battle, head exposed)
- "All right, next!" (Captor Spider battle, one leg defeated)
- "Hm... we need to plan carefully." (Captor Spider battle, first leg regrows)
- "Huh? They grow back?!" (Captor Spider battle, second leg regrows)
- "This never ends..." (Captor Spider battle, third leg regrows)
- "(sighs) Again?" (Captor Spider battle, fourth leg regrows)
- "How long do they stay destroyed?" (Captor Spider battle, all legs regrow, second time)
- "All right! Rei-chan, it won't be long!" (Captor Spider battle, 50% HP)
- "We're almost there, Rei-chan!" (Captor Spider battle, 25% HP)
- "Ughhh... I'm already at 1!" (Clockwork God battle, count at 1)
- "No way... did he skip forward?" (Clockwork God battle, Clockwork God uses Time Warp)
- "Yeah! Let's keep it up!" (Clockwork God battle, 75% HP)
- "Yeah! We're ending this now!" (Clockwork God battle, 50% HP)
- "Meeting them has changed us, and vice versa. That's what life is about." (Clockwork God battle, 25% HP)
- "Persona!" (Using Persona skill)
- "Orpheus!" (Using Persona skill)
- "Come, Orpheus!" (Using Persona skill)
- "Messiah!" (Using Persona skill)
- "Come, Messiah!" (Using Persona skill)
- "Attis!" (Using Persona skill)
- "Siegfried!" (Using Persona skill)
- "Thanatos!" (Using Persona skill)
- "I'm not staying down." (Getting up after being Downed)
- "This is getting rough..." (Low Health)
- "I can't fall here..." (???)
- "Take this!" (???)
- "Too slow!" (???)
- "What?!" (???)
- "This ends now!" (???)
- "You're finished!" (???)
- "How's this?" (???)
Stats
Persona 3 FES: The Answer (as ???)
Persona 3 FES The Answer Boss ??? (Protagonist) Empyrean
??? boss fight.
Because ??? has the ability to use the party's individual ultimate Personas, the player should avoid bringing in party members that are weak to each others' attacks. Metis is a safe option for two reasons - ??? cannot copy Psyche, and Metis has a good mix of attacks to hit with regardless of ???'s current active Persona.
Remember to scan ??? every time ??? changes to a new Persona for the first time, to minimize the chance of team members wasting turns. While ??? can't be knocked down for a One More from exploiting a "weakness" of his current Persona, he has increased vulnerability to that element - e.g. he takes extra Elec damage when using Athena.
- These skills are present in all forms.
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- As a result of a coding oversight, ??? should have access to Matarunda, Marakunda, and Masukunda in this phase, but these moves are unusable.
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Persona 5 Royal DLC Challenge battle
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Etymology
The name given to the protagonist in the film series, "Makoto Yuuki," can be interpreted as "true courage."
The name given to him in the manga series, "Minato Arisato," is translated as "有 (ari/aru/yuu) = exist, 里 (sato) = village, 湊 (minato) = harbor."
Both of these names allude to his role in the story.
In Other Languages
| Language | Titles | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 English
|
Protagonist | Makoto Yuki | Minato Arisato | Sakuya Shiomi |
 Japanese
|
主人公 (Hero) | 結城 理 (Yūki Makoto) | 有里 湊 (Arisato Minato) | 汐見 朔也 (Shiomi Sakuya) |
 Korean
|
주인공 (Hero) | 유키 마코토 (Yuki Makoto) | 아리사토 미나토 (Arisato Minato) | 시오미 사쿠야 (Shiomi Sakuya) |
  Traditional Chinese
|
主人公 (Hero) | 結城 理 (Jiéchéng Lǐ) | 有里 湊 (Yǒulǐ Còu) | 汐見 朔也 (Xījiàn Shuòyě) |
Trivia
- The protagonist's death at the end of the game is foreshadowed with the "memento mori: remember that you are mortal, remember you will die" message in the intro.
- The protagonist never speaks for the most part, only occasionally mentioning the name of the equipped Persona when gearing up for a powerful attack. Arming him with a bow will have him shouting "Come forth!" or "Persona!" when summoning. Even though this variation does not occur in the JP version, equipping him with other weapon types will make him intone differently.
- The protagonist will always die in March 5, 2010 regardless of the ending (albeit only implied in the bad ending). This also happens with his female counterpart.
- The music played on the protagonist's MP3 player appears to be a remixed version of "Burn My Dread." The same remix is also used again as background music in the very last battle of the game.
- At the beginning of the scene Awakening (first Persona summon), one can carefully see that the protagonist is wearing the SEES armband even though he didn't join SEES yet, of course in later parts of the scene the armband doesn't show. A similar goof occurs on 7/11 - when Mitsuru gathers the group in the dorm and talks about the Kirijo Group, they are wearing their winter uniforms instead of their summer uniforms.[7]
- When he tries to imitate a cat, he instead sounds like a fox.[8]
- During the credits roll for both The Journey and The Answer, Messiah appears behind the protagonist's silhouette, indicating Messiah is his ultimate Persona. His actions in the game seem to support this, as he sacrifices his life to save humanity from itself. Furthermore, he appears crucified on the Great Seal, alluding to Jesus of Nazareth, the Christian messiah, who died via crucifixion for a similar purpose.
- The protagonist holds a distinct honor of being the only protagonist to be capable of wielding multiple weapons (although his default weapon is a One-Handed Sword). However, this was changed for Persona 3 Portable, in which he is only able to wield One-Handed Swords.
- He is also the only character in the series able to use Fusion Spells without another character to assist him. In P3P however, Fusion Spells are now expendable items, and do not require a specific Persona to be in stock.
- Ironically, despite the fact that knives are one of the few weapons he can't wield in the game, a knife is the first weapon the protagonist is given in the manga.
- He is the only character, other than his female counterpart, known to use the "The Universe Arcana."
- The Shirt of Chivalry, a type of costume for males in FES and P3P, is noted for the kanji symbols on their backs that symbolize the character. The protagonist's kanji means "honorable man" (漢), being the field leader of SEES and being able to strengthen bonds through Social Links.
- There are some audio files hidden in the DVD disc of Persona 3 FES that contains voices of the protagonist and Aigis shouting the names of the other SEES members' Personas.
- When the protagonist of Persona 3 hears "Jika Net Tanaka," he describes it as an annoying song unlike the protagonist of Persona 4 who describes it as a cheery song. This implies that, despite the player's choices, he and the protagonist of Persona 4 have some semblance of a predetermined personality.
- The way the Shadow protagonist formed by the regret of SEES members alludes to the Metal Trio from Persona 2: Eternal Punishment manifested in Torifune out of Tatsuya Suou's guilt for breaking the promise with his former friends. While The Metal Trio in P2EP uses the golden version of their own ultimate Personas, the shadow protagonist in FES uses the golden version of the SEES members' ultimate Personas.
- In Persona 4 Arena, an additional color for Yu Narukami and his Persona mimics the colors of the protagonist and his Persona.
- In Persona Q, should the player choose Persona 4 at the start of the game, before he introduces himself he is referred to as "A Boy with Earphones." In addition, in his Japanese gameplay trailer, his name is written as "Minato Arisato" (likely since the manga was released before the movie series), while in English gameplay trailer his name is still written as "P3 Hero."
- Similarly, both the English and Japanese gameplay trailers for Persona 3 Reload refer to the protagonist with the name "Makoto Yuki" (結城 理).[9][10] Additionally, in Aigis' Japanese character trailer for the game, she refers to him as "Makoto-san" during the intro, which doesn't occur in the English equivalent due to the localization differences.[11] This extends to the main game where "Makoto Yuki" is used as the default name in Persona 3 Reload.[12]
- The protagonist is one of only two characters in the Persona series to change ultimate Personas between two separate appearances without it being some sort of upgrade, the other being Eriko Kirishima. In Persona Q, he uses Messiah as his ultimate Persona, while in Persona Q2 he uses Orpheus Telos as his ultimate Persona and Messiah is assigned to his female counterpart.
- Minato Arisato is the name that the Persona 3 mangaka (Shuuji Sogabe) gave his protagonist when he played the game, so he used it in his manga. It's actually randomly picked from the in-game list of kanji in the Japanese version.
- He is the shortest male protagonist to date, standing at 5'7".
- Although the name "Makoto" is shared between four characters in the Megami Tensei series, the kanji and meaning of Persona 3's is unique (理*)?. Makoto Niijima of Persona 5 and Makoto Kuwahara of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment both share the same kanji (真*)?, while Makoto Sako of Devil Survivor 2 is also technically unique, aside from using the first kanji as the aforementioned two characters. (真琴*)?
Appearances in Other Media
| Title | Details | Date | External Links | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle | * Color swap for Yu Narukami | * May 31, 2018 (Japan) * June 5, 2018 (North America) * June 22, 2018 (Europe) |
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| Puzzle and Dragons | Collaboration event *Makoto Yuki |
July 16th, 2018 - July 29th, 2018 | ||
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | DLC *Appears as a DLC costume for the customizable Mii Fighters, specifically the Mii Swordfighter[13] and makes a cameo in the TV screens when the Mementos stage is chosen with its Persona 3 skin. |
April 17th, 2019 | ||
| Star Ocean: Anamnesis | Collaboration event *Makoto Yuki |
October 10th, 2019 - November 7th, 2019 | Article on the Star Ocean Wiki | |
| 'Seven Knights Idle Adventure | Collaboration event *Makoto Yuki |
September 9th, 2024 - September 23th, 2024 |
| BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle | ||
|---|---|---|
Yu using the Makoto palette in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
|
| Puzzle and Dragons | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Persona 3 Protagonist model in Puzzle and Dragons
Persona 3 Protagonist in Puzzle and Dragons
Persona 3 Protagonist in Puzzle and Dragons
Persona 3 Protagonist in Puzzle and Dragons
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| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | ||
|---|---|---|
Persona 3 Protagonist costume
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| Star Ocean: Anamnesis | ||
|---|---|---|
Makoto Yuki in Star Ocean: Anamnesis
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| Seven Knights Idle Adventure | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Makoto Yuki in Seven Knights Idle Adventure
Seven Knights Idle Adventure x Persona 3 Reload Key Art
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References
- ↑ Persona 3 Portable MC and FeMC canon name revealed, YouTube (Faz, Jan 18 2023)
- ↑ A screenshot of the message box when switching between languages on Steam
- ↑ A screenshot of the message box in Japanese when switching between languages on Steam
- ↑ Atlus (2006, 2014). Persona 3: Official Design Works. Kadokawa Enterbrain - UDON Entertainment. pg. 13 - 14.
- ↑ The most meta statement in Persona 3 Tumblr (midnighttotwelve, October 30th, 2016)
- ↑ Persona 4 Boss Margaret (Expert) Youtube. (Apr 20, 2014)
- ↑ Persona 3 FES The Journey CUTSCENES (JULY/AUGUST) Youtube. (Jan 20, 2014)
- ↑ Shuffle Time Tumblr (truewildcard, April 13, 2014)
- ↑ Persona 3 Reload - English Gameplay Reveal | Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, Youtube (Jul 3, 2023)
- ↑ Persona 3 Reload Gameplay Trailer (Japanese), Youtube (Jul 5, 2023)
- ↑ 『ペルソナ３ リロード』アイギス(CV.坂本真綾) キャラクターPV, YouTube (Nov 21, 2023)
- ↑ Persona 3 Reload language change, Faz, Twitter
- ↑ Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Mii Fighter Costumes #1 - Nintendo Switch. Youtube (April 16, 2019)
| Characters | |
| Playable | Makoto Yuki - Yukari Takeba - Junpei Iori - Akihiko Sanada - Mitsuru Kirijo - Fuuka Yamagishi - Ken Amada - Aigis - Elizabeth |
| DLC | Shinjiro Aragaki - Goro Akechi - Theodore - Lavenza - Sho Minazuki - Labrys |
| Locations | |
| Port Island | Velvet Room - Tartarus - Gekkoukan High School - Paulownia Mall - Iwatodai Station - Port Island Station - Naganaki Shrine - Iwatodai Dormitory - Moonlight Bridge |
| Music | |
| Songs | Our Moment - Moonlight Serendipity |
| Albums | Persona Dancing P3D & P5D Soundtrack Advanced CD |
| Archive | |
| Lists | Social - List of Patches and Updates - Trophies |
| Corporate | Atlus Co., Ltd. |
| Personnel | Kazuhisa Wada - Shigenori Soejima - Ryota Kozuka - Shoji Meguro Toshiki Konishi - Atsushi Kitajoh |