While I grew to love the Persona series after beating the originalPersona 3, it wasPersona 3 Portableand its female protagonist that truly made me a longtime fan and changed the way I looked at the series forever. She added a special something that hasn’t been replicated within the series, and I hope Atlus will consider revisiting it in the next Persona game.
Persona 3 Portable was the first time within the Persona series that I was allowed to choose between playing a male or female character. This was quite different from the series’ previous entries, which mainly focused on male characters. The addition of a female character not only added a new point of view to the game’s story, but also allowed me to experience the game’s social and dating mechanics from a female point of view.
While you can name her anything you want, many fans consider her name to be Minako Arisato. Just like her male counterpart, she’s a transfer student who joined the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES), and she, too, has the ability to summon and control Personas — powerful physical manifestations of her psyche. While the two characters share a lot of similar story beats, Minako has her own unique social links and romance options.
But it was the social links, in particular, that allowed for me to build relationships with the crew differently than with the traditionally male protagonists in the series. As someone who has always been more comfortable with female characters because the need to be masculine was pushed aside, I felt more engagement when building these relationships and unlocking new abilities, and I smiled bigger when I finally received the perks for Minako. While dated in the way it approaches the female character perspective by today’s standards, there was something empowering about characters like Junpei making comments about how the group was being led by a girl and how Minako would prove his problematic stereotype wrong by leading them with a strong hand.
Related:Persona 3 Portable Review
With Minako came an excellent expansion to the game’s social links. She provided more depth to the male characters and was able to form a romantic relationship with them. No longer did I feel excluded from the series because I was more attracted to Akihiko than I was of Mitsuru.
Speaking of Akihiko, he was the one I had Minako romance. She and I spent many days drinking coffee in order to increase our charm so that eventually she had enough to push past the cold stares of classmates who were jealous that she got to spend time with the popular and handsome Akihiko-senpai. She reveals a more intimate side to him, as it becomes apparent that he’s quite oblivious to the signs of girls liking him. (He also initially thinks that Minako’s going out with Junpei.)
I found myself quite amused and emotionally invested in the development of their relationship. I giggled while holding my Playstation Portable on the bus on my way back from college classes at all the joyful and tender moments I was experiencing. Akihiko was quite embarrassed when Minako called him charming. He reflected on the fact that neither of them had parents growing up and why he feels like he can open up to her. He, in my headcanon, gave Minako the biggest reason to make it through the grueling final battles, and it was his voice that I had Minako hear as her eyes began to close at the end of the game.
Minako’s journey within Persona Portable 3 is also different in more subtle ways. The first time I played through the original Persona 3, I remember feeling like the male protagonist was quite stoic and distant. It made sense within the confines of the story, as the main themes revolve around the temporal nature of life and what we can do within our limited time here on Earth, as well as how others may remember us. So I was fine with this heavy essence to the story, but admittedly, I wanted more colorful exchanges, especially as the weight gets hard to bear near the end parts of the game.
Minako, on the other hand, always seems to have a spirited and, at times, more emotional reaction to Persona 3’s story beats. I love that she was able to be a leader, but I also connect with her fear of what’s going on within the story. I also loved her can-do attitude, as at times when things were getting grim, I had the option to have her say something like “Leave it to me!” She also gave more elements of female friendship and empowerment to the story, which were a bit lacking in the male main character’s story.
Before Persona 5 came and truly expanded the series’ appeal to those beyond the core fanbase, I believe that Minako helped to attract a wider audience, including casual gamers and those who may not have played RPGs prior. I remember hearing from different fans how Minako made them feel more included within the Persona universe in both personality and gender, and she showed that Atlus was capable of broadening its main character palette.
With the choice to release an HD version of the game, instead of the other Persona 3 games, I can’t help but wonder if Altus is subtly recognizing that Minako is just as important to the series as her male counterpart. While the series has yet to introduce dual protagonists for any of its subsequent games, perhaps the cries for more diversity within the series will convince the developers to revisit this approach. As a big fan of Minako, I can only hope.
