Although Atlus didn't bring female protagonist Kotone Shiomi back from Persona 3 Portable in Persona 3 Reload, she is making a comeback now – albeit not in a mainline game.
She'll be returning to Persona, but she's not joining her male counterpart Makoto Yuki in Reload – instead, she's part of a new Persona 3 Portable crossover event in Persona 5 gacha spin-off The Phantom X.
It's a strictly mobile and PC game, but it is free to play, so fans of Kotone will finally be able to play as her should they please. Atlus confirms as much in a teaser for the event, showing Kotone in action.
The description of the video details that more information is coming soon, which will likely include the event's release date – but it doesn't provide any other word on what players can expect to see in the crossover aside from Kotone herself.
Regardless, it's a pretty big reveal for folks who've missed one of the Persona series' only female protagonists… and trust me, there are plenty of them to go around.
Heck, Persona 3 Reload fans have been redoing every cutscene in the JRPG to add Kotone in – the dedication is unparalleled, y'all. There's even a mod out there that attempts to bring her into the 2024 remake as seamlessly as possible.
The Persona 3 Reload FEMC Mod Version 1.1.0 has been released (The Biggest Update Yet!) from r/PERSoNA
In other words, there's no shortage of Kotone truthers to be found in the wild, and I've got a good feeling this crossover event might spur a rise in Persona 5: The Phantom X players thanks to that.
As for why Atlus didn't choose to include Kotone in Persona 3 Reload a couple of years ago, it all boils down to difficulty and expenses. General producer Kazuhisa Wada previously stated (in machine-translated comments) that even though adding the female character was considered during Reload's development, "the hurdles were too high" ultimately. It's certainly sad, but at least we can play as her in the Persona 5 spin-off.
Here's hoping we learn more about the crossover event from Atlus soon – and perhaps see what else the developers have in store for Persona 5: The Phantom X.
While you wait for the big event, why not read through everything we know about Persona 4 Revival and Persona 6 so far, or browse some other exciting new games underway?
