Is there a female protagonist in Persona 3 Reload?

Persona 3 Portable gave us a girl to play as, canonically known as Kotone Shiomi. Will she return as the female protagonist in Persona 3 Reload?

Will you be able to play as the female protagonist in Persona 3 Reload?

Unfortunately, Kotone Shiomi isn’t a playable protagonist in Persona 3 Reload. Instead, everyone will be fighting their battles and socializing with their friends as Makoto Yuki.

“Persona 3 Reload is a project that was conceived as a remake of the original Persona 3 for current platforms, therefore it does not include the additional story scenario that was added in FES or the female protagonist from Portable,” said series producer Ryota Niitsuma to Famitsu (via Persona Central). “However this does not mean that elements added to the main story in FES are not included in Reload at all.”

Long-time fans wish playing as Kotone would be a part of Persona 3 Reload. It would be neat if she was added as DLC to keep the game fresh months or a year later, but no word has been given on that.

Thankfully, Persona 3 Reload is available on modern platforms, so you can relive this character through the recent remaster.

JRPGs with female protagonists

Despite Persona 3 Reload missing Kotone Shiomi that doesn’t mean all games of the genre are missing a playable female protagonist. Released on the same day, open-world RPG Granblue Fantasy: Relink lets you play as Djeeta instead of Gran.

Additionally, there are the Atelier games, which all have female protagonists. You’re crafting items and potions within a cauldron and fighting monsters in the field with what you’ve created. It’s more lighthearted than the Persona series, but it’s a delightful romp nevertheless.