Characters of Persona 3

Template:Shin Megami Tensei characters Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 is a video game developed and published by Atlus for the Playstation 2. The game takes place in 2009 in the modern world, with certain fictional additions.

Although Persona 3 is the fourth game in the Persona series, most of the cast has not appeared in any of the previous titles. Many of the characters can be used in battle, but only the Main Character can be directly controlled by the player.

SEES Members

SEES is an acronym for the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad of Gekkoukan High School. They hunt down Shadows and investigate the Dark Hour with the support of the Kirijo Group. All of the members of SEES are Persona-users. They live together in a specialized dorm.

Main Character

Main Character (主人公, Shujinkō) Voiced by: Akira Ishida (Japanese); Yuri Lowenthal (English)
Persona: Orpheus and Orpheus Kai/Telos (Exclusive to Persona 3: FES) of The Fool arcanum, Thanatos of the Death arcanum, Messiah of the Judgement arcanum

The Main Character (named by the player at the start of the game) is the story's protagonist. Persona 3 follows his 2009-2010 school year. The player is challenged to manage his time day by day, balancing the social-simulation and dungeon-crawling portions of the game. Of all the characters in Persona 3, only the Main Character has the ability to summon multiple Personas and combine them in the Velvet Room. He also can wield almost any weapon he chooses, though a one-handed sword is his default.

The story of Persona 3 begins when Main Character transfers to Gekkoukan High School at the beginning of his junior year. When he arrives at the school dorm, he comes into contact with the Dark Hour and signs a contract in the Velvet Room. Soon he is recruited to hunt Shadows and investigate Apathy Syndrome alongside the other members of SEES. In addition to exploring the Tartarus dungeon, the Main Character is free to form friendships and romantic relationships with various other characters over the course of the school year. His "personality" is entirely up to the player to determine.

It is eventually revealed that Aigis sealed Death within the Main Character when he was a young boy. If she had not, Death would have summoned Nyx and destroyed the world. Death, in its incomplete form, became the boy known as Pharos while he was trapped in the Main Character's mind. The Main Character was subconsciously drawn to Gekkoukan High School since that is where Death can be revived.

Pharos regains all of his lost memories once the twelve Arcana Shadows (fragments separated from Death) are defeated. He then emerges from the Main Character's psyche and turns into Ryoji Mochizuki. For a time he lives as a human. Yet his true nature cannot be ignored, and after a short period of time he becomes unable to maintain his human form. He gives the Main Character (and thus the player) the choice to kill him while he is still human and forget about Nyx, or to allow him to live and try to defeat Nyx after she is summoned. Choosing the former triggers the game's "bad" ending, in which everyone forgets about their SEES relationship, the Shadows, Tartarus, and everything that was connected to the Personas/the Dark Hour. Nyx materializes near the end of the school year and destroys the world.

In the "good" ending, the Main Character defeats Nyx at the cost of his own life. The bonds he has forged with SEES and his other friends give him power to fight the sorrow, depression, and apathy of humankind, which were what drew Nyx to Earth, by letting him create The Universe arcana with the help of Igor. With the power of the The Universe, and the cheering on of his Teammates he combats Nyx itself in a one on one battle. He reaches his full potential and becomes both a martyr and a messiah.

The Main Character clings to a life for a month after fighting Nyx, in order to keep the promise he made to meet his friends on Graduation Day. Once his oath is fulfilled he falls asleep in Aigis' lap, smiling. The epilogue, playable in Persona 3 FES, reveals that the Main Character is dead. His soul has become the barrier that stands between Nyx and humanity.

The main character is breifly mentioned in Persona 4 by Margaret, the new assistant to Igor. Margaret tells the protagonist of Persona 4 that Elizabeth left her position to free "The Blue-Haired Boy" who was trapped in a wall.

In the manga, authored by Shūji Sogabe, the Main Character is named Minato Arisato (有里 湊, Arisato Minato). In this portrayal, he only speaks when spoken to and a notable running gag in the manga is that he is frequently tired or bored.

Yukari Takeba

Yukari Takeba (岳羽 ゆかり, Takeba Yukari) Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese); Michelle Ruff (English)
Persona: Io, Isis of The Lovers arcanum

Yukari Takeba is a classmate of the Main Character. She wields a bow and arrow in battle. Yukari's zeal for investigation brings SEES a lot of trouble, but also gains the group valuable allies and information. She has a high aptitude for magic and her Personas excel in wind and healing spells. She is regarded as the heroine of the game, as she possesses all of the typical RPG heroine qualities, such as being a healer, being romantically involved with the Main Character, and being the first female companion to join the party.

Yukari is popular at school because of her good looks, cheerful disposition, and energetic attitude. But there is more to Yukari than meets the eye. Though outwardly friendly and extraverted, she is very careful not to let anyone get truly close to her. She constantly picks on Junpei, hides her true motives from the group, and represses a lot of anger and sorrow about her past. At the beginning of the game she has trouble summoning her Persona and becomes distressed when holding an evoker gun to her head.

It turns out that Yukari has been on her own for quite some time. Her father died a mysterious death a decade ago, and her mother neglects her in favor of a string of shallow boyfriends. She slowly begins to open up to the Main Character because he is an orphan and can understand her isolation. Midway through the game, Yukari discovers that her father was involved in the incident that unleashed the Shadows upon the world. Yukari is forced to face her anger and overcome it, and decides to fight for her friends and her father's memory. She is no longer alone.

Yukari is one of the girls that Main Character has the option of dating over the course of the game. Since Yukari is very popular, he must maximize his Charm statistic in order to ask her out. If the Main Character makes the correct choices, Yukari will fall in love with him, and he will help her mend her relationship with her mother. If the player chooses not to date any of the girls, Yukari will appear for the dating events. It's also noticed that she possesses the most romantic events with the main character, being noted for being the only datable girl with romantic moments actually included within the story, which may serve evidence to the fact that Yukari fell in love with the Main Character. Whether they dated or not is debatable, but it can be implied that she is the 'default', similar to how Maya and Tatsuya's relationship was in Persona 2, despite being able to date Lisa or Jun.

In Persona 3: FES, Yukari is the group member who is most reluctant to go back into battle against the Shadows. It seems that she only wants to move on with her life. However, she fell in love with the Main Character, and as such, was quite bitter and jealous towards Aigis, who inherited his power.

Junpei Iori

Junpei Iori (伊織 順平, Iori Junpei) Voiced by: Toriumi Kosuke (Japanese); Vic Mignogna (English)
Persona: Hermes, Trismegistus of The Magician arcanum

Junpei Iori is the Main Character's best friend, though the two often find themselves at odds. He plays the class clown in order to mask his insecurities. Junpei's chosen weapon is two-handed sword which he wields like a baseball bat. His Personas excel at physical attacks and party buffs, and can also cast some weak fire magic.

Junpei becomes a member of SEES near the beginning of the game. He was found crying in a convenience store during the Dark Hour, and did not realize that he had the potential to call a Persona until Akihiko told him about it. His decision to join SEES is a swift one, and Yukari is dismayed when he immediately moves into their dorm.

Initially, Junpei fights because playing hero makes him feel like less of a loser. He uses his place in SEES to prop up his low self-esteem, neglects his classwork, and snaps at the Main Character out of jealousy over his unique Persona abilities. Junpei only becomes more serious after he meets the Strega member Chidori. They fall for each other, and though she continues to fight SEES, feelings for Junpei eventually conflict with her loyalty to Takaya and her fear of death. When Takaya fatally attacks Junpei, Chidori uses her Persona powers to save his life at the cost of her own. After her death Junpei becomes a focused and determined young man. In FES, if certain requirements are met, Chidori was revived. Though her memories were erased, she was determined to find the man of her dream, in which Junpei happily cried.

In Persona 3: FES, it is revealed that he once met Koromaru when he had run away from home -- specifically, from his alcoholic father.

Character designer Shigenori Soejima has stated that Junpei is "the most important character when it comes to getting the player to buy into the story," because of all the major characters, he is one who looks and acts the most like a normal teenager.

Mitsuru Kirijo

Mitsuru Kirijo (桐条 美鶴, Kirijō Mitsuru) Voiced by: Rie Tanaka (Japanese); Tara Platt (English)
Persona: Penthesilea, Artemisia of The Empress arcanum

Mitsuru is the only child of the head of the Kirijo Group, Takeharu Kirijo. She is also the school's top ranking valedictorian and student council president. In battle she wields one-handed swords such as rapiers and sabers. Her Personas excel at ice spells, and she is the most powerful offensive magic caster aside from the Main Character. She uses Mind Charge to excell her power in ice spells. She also pocesses powerful healing spells. However, they only one ally at a time.

Mitsuru has been battling Shadows for a long time, as the unofficial leader of SEES. At the beginning of the game she avoids battle and acts as a support character, offering analysis and advice. She joins the party in combat only after the discovery of Fuuka Yamagishi, whose analysis power is much stronger.

Throughout the story, Mitsuru hides many details about Tartarus and the Dark Hour from the group, due to feelings of guilt over her family's involvement in the accident that created them. Since her grandfather was responsible for everything, she believes that she alone bears the burden of setting the world right. Her Persona was artificially induced to allow her to participate in the battle against the Shadows. Mitsuru is the only SEES member that had her ability to summon a Persona forced on her.

Mitsuru loses all will to fight after Ikutsuki kills her father, since restoring the family honor is meaningless without a family. Fortunately, she regains her resolve thanks to some timely intervention from Yukari. She decides to take take over leadership of the Kirijo Group after the conflict with Nyx is finished and she graduates high school.

Mitsuru is one of the girls that Main Character can date over the course of the game. In order to attract such an ambitious young woman he must maximize his Academic statistic, and rank first in his class for at least one exam. If the player makes the correct choices, Mitsuru will fall in love with the Main Character, and the Main Character will help free her from some of the expectations attached to her family name.

Should the player use a cheat device to gain the Universe persona and switch to it during battle, Mitsuru will reprimand you for cheating.

Akihiko Sanada

Akihiko Sanada (真田 明彦, Sanada Akihiko) Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa (Japanese); Liam O'Brien (English)
Persona: Polydeuces, Caesar of The Emperor arcanum

Akihiko is the mature and confident captain of his school’s boxing team, as well as a senior at Gekkoukan High. He is a hard worker who balances a high GPA with near-constant training. Since Akihiko is a boxer, he uses gloves and claws in battle. His Personas can be used to cast electric magic and debuff spells. He cannot fight for the first part of the game due to injuries received during the Dark Hour.

Akihiko was one of the three Persona users who originally founded SEES, alongside Mitsuru and Shinjiro. He and Shinjiro were close friends as children, having grown up in an orphanage together with Akihiko's now-deceased sister Miki. However, one night when the two were chasing down a Shadow, Shinjiro’s Persona went out of control and an innocent bystander was killed. The bystander was Ken Amada’s mother.

After the incident, Shinjiro left SEES and his friendship with Akihiko became strained. The two only reconnect when Ken joins SEES, and Akihiko convinces Shinjiro to rejoin the group in order to protect him.

When Akihiko realizes that Ken only volunteered for SEES as a means to get revenge on Shinjiro, he tries to save both of them from making grave mistakes, but he arrives too late. Though Ken lets go of his vendetta, Shinjiro is fatally shot while protecting him from Takaya. In the end, Shinjiro’s way of facing death head on gave Akihiko the courage to carry on in spite of all his losses. Akihiko is determined that Shinjiro's death not be in vain and to be just as fearless in the face of his own mortality. He is the character that is the least upset and conflicted about the impossible odds of fighting Nyx.

He appears in the anime sequel Persona -trinity soul-.

In Persona 3: FES, a door which shows Akihiko's past reveals why the evoker looks like a gun. When Mitsuru first asked him to join her in fighting Shadows, she decided to create an evoker that would grab his attention, and so she chose the gun shape. Akihiko, however, was disappointed when he found out the evoker wasn't meant to shoot others, but to shoot himself in order to free his Persona.

Aegis/Aigis

Aegis/Aigis (アイギス, Aigisu) Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto (Japanese); Karen Strassman (English)
Persona: Palladion, Athena of The Chariot arcanum

Aigis is an android created by the Kirijo Group; she is the last surviving model of their experimental anti-Shadow weapon. In combat, she uses a wide variety of high-tech weapons, from machine guns and rocket launchers to long range guns and “rocket punches.” She has her own unique tactic called "Orgia Mode" in which she disables her limiters, allowing her to attack at full power, unfortunately she can't be given orders and can't use recovery skills, after a few turns she has to cool down, thus skipping her next turn. Aigis has the highest durability of any of the characters, and her Personas focus on physical attacks.

Aigis is introduced during SEES' summer beach vacation, where she is simultaneously the target of Mitsuru's retrieval mission and Junpei's "Operation Babe Hunt." She immediately shows an instinctual interest in protecting the Main Character which even she cannot explain. Ikutsuki has her assigned to aid SEES, and she enrolls in Gekkoukan High to act as the Main Character's bodyguard. Later, when Ryoji transfers to Gekkoukan High, she is also instinctively suspicious and alarmed.

During her battle with Ryoji on the Moonlight Bridge, Aigis regains the memories trapped in her damaged circuits. The player learns that, ten years before the game, her mission was to defeat or seal away Death so that the coming of Nyx would be averted. Since she was unable to defeat Death, she sealed the entity away in a young boy who was the sole survivor of a nearby car crash. That young boy was the Main Character. She is driven to protect him both to try and suppress Death and because she feels a great deal of guilt over her actions. Since Ryoji is an incarnation of Death, she senses that he is her natural enemy.

Aigis is damaged during her fight with Ryoji and must be repaired by the Kirijo Group. When she returns she shows more human-like qualities and emotions, and decides to stand against the power of Nyx with her friends in SEES. She is the only one who remembers Tartarus, the Dark Hour, and the Main Character's sacrifice during his borrowed month of life after the defeat of Nyx. She allows him to live like a normal student for the few precious weeks that he has. Then, on Graduation Day, she holds the Main Character as he drifts into his final sleep, and swears that she will live her life protecting him.

In the Persona 3: FES expansion, the player can access an epilogue to the main game called The Answer ("Episode Aegis" in the Japanese version). There, Aigis replaces the Main Character as playable protagonist, inheriting his power to summon multiple Personas, but unfortunately she can no longer use Orgia Mode. As the story progresses, Aigis/Aegis begins to lose her senses as a robot. The Main Character can also date Aigis in Persona 3: FES as the Aeon Arcana and when you max her S-link she will fall in love with him. Unlike the other Social Link cards, the Aeon is not a part of standard Tarot decks. It replaces the Judgment card in Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot.

The development of a cell phone game starring Aigis has been announced in Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu. Aegis: The First Mission will follow Aigis' adventures before she sealed Death.

Ken Amada

Ken Amada (天田 乾, Amada Ken) Voiced by: Megumi Ogata (Japanese); Mona Marshall (English)
Persona: Nemesis, Kala-Nemi of Justice arcanum

Ken Amada is the youngest human member of SEES, and one of the two who don't attend Gekkoukan High School. He is mature, but sometimes he is too precocious for his own good. He uses long spears to make up for his short stature. His Personas can be used for healing, and to cast light-based spells that occasionally instantly kill the enemy. He can also use weak Thunder spells.

Ikutsuki invites Ken to live in the SEES dorm because he is an orphan with no home to return to. He is revealed to have the potential to wield Persona and is asked to join the organization. Initially, the Main Character and his friends believe that Ken joined SEES out of altruism, but his true intentions are far darker. Ken's mother was accidentally killed by Shinjiro during a SEES mission, and Ken infiltrates SEES in order to kill him.

During Ken's inevitable confrontation with Shinjiro, Takaya intervenes and reveals that Ken has been planning to commit suicide after slaying his nemesis. He also reveals that Strega has been supplying Shinjiro with special drugs to control his Persona, and that the drugs will soon kill him. This completely shatters Ken’s hopes of revenge. After a brief fight between Shinjiro and Takaya, the Strega leader takes a shot at Ken. Shinjiro jumps in front of the bullet. Dying, he reminds Ken that he is still a child with a whole life ahead of him and a future that can be about more than vengeance. Shinjiro's last words inspire Ken to fight for the future his mother would have wanted for him.

In FES, it's revealed Ken drinks milk often in his free time when he's training his spear skills. He chose the Spear as his weapon to make up his lack of height, but is constantly drinking milk to get taller, to the point it makes him sick due to his dislike of being so short. He is also secretly a fan of the show Featherman R that is occasionally on TV in the Lounge, and collects the figurines fanatically.

According to character designer Shigenori Soejima, Ken was designed to have a nostalgic look, rather than to reflect the style of modern Japanese children.

Koromaru

Koromaru (コロマル, Koromaru)
Persona: Cerberus of Strength arcanum

Koromaru's master was killed in an incident involving Shadows. He became a stray, and was watched over by Main character, Fuuka and Yukari. Instead of attacking with his fangs or claws, Koromaru wields daggers in his mouth. His Personas can be used to cast fire spells, as well as darkness-based spells that occasionally instantly kill the enemy. He has a speed advantage over the other characters.

Koromaru remains faithful to his master even after his death, retracing the path of their old walks and revisiting the place where he was slain. One day when Akihiko is hunting Shadows, he comes across the canine, who is gravely injured. The Shadows surrounding him are dead. Once Koromaru is healed, Ikutsuki reveals that he too has the potential to summon a Persona. Mitsuru gives him a special collar-like Evoker and he is inducted into SEES.

Aigis claims to be able to translate Koromaru's barking and body language into human speech, although during the events of The Answer, in which she is the main protagonist, she appears to have difficulties doing so.

Shinjiro Aragaki

Shinjiro Aragaki (荒垣 真次郎, Aragaki Shinjirō) Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai (Japanese); Grant George (English)
Persona: Castor of The Hierophant arcanum

Shinjiro is Akihiko’s childhood friend, as well as a Senior in Gekkoukan High School. In battle, Shinjiro relies on his brute strength and wields a heavy axe. His Persona uses physical attacks.

Tough-talking, foul-mouthed Shinjiro was one of the original Persona users who made up SEES, alongside Akihiko and Mitsuru. But during one fateful mission his Persona went out of control and accidentally killed an innocent bystander: Ken’s mother. Shinjiro forced himself away from the group after the incident. He began skipping school and living as an outcast. He also started doing shady deals with Strega in order to get drugs that could help control his Persona.

Shinjiro and Akihiko have stayed in touch over the years, but Shinjiro refuses Akihiko's invitations to rejoin SEES until he learns that Ken has decided to join their group. He is fully aware of Ken's vendetta and is ready to take responsibility for his actions. Though he puts on a brave front, the guilt of having killed an innocent woman eats away at him.

Shinjiro meets Ken at the site where Ken's mother was killed, during one of the full moon missions. He has no intention of resisting to Ken's attempt to extract revenge, but he warns the boy that if he continues, he could end up just like Shinjiro. The two are interrupted by Takaya while Ken struggles to go through with his plan. Takaya takes a shot at Ken and Shinjiro jumps in front of the bullet, ending his own life. This final sacrifice earns Ken's respect and inspires Akihiko's resolve. Later the members of SEES discover that the drugs Shinjiro was taking were slowly killing him.

During his climactic confrontation with Nyx, the Main Character hears Shinjiro's voice cheering him on along with the voices of the living SEES members.

In the FES version, a hidden camera reveals that Shinjiro enjoys cooking shows. Shinjiro also has a love for dogs, especially Koromaru. In The Answer, it is also learned that Shinjiro joined SEES because Akihiko did. He arrived at the dorm and refused to leave soon after Akihiko moved there. Akihiko did not want Shinjiro to join, for he was afraid that he may not be able to control his Persona.

Fuuka Yamagishi

Fuuka Yamagishi (山岸 風花, Yamagishi Fūka) Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (Japanese); Mela Lee (English)
Persona: Lucia, Juno of The Priestess arcanum

Fuuka is a shy junior who is known for being sickly. Unlike the other members of SEES, she does not have any fighting abilities, nor do her Personas. Instead she takes Mitsuru's place as the team's tactical support. Fuuka's role is to forecast where bosses can be found at Tartarus, analyze the weaknesses of various enemies, and give commentary on battles. She also provides information on the medical/combat status of the team.

A few months into the school year, Fuuka goes missing for several days. Yukari, Junpei, and the Main Character decide to investigate after strange things start happening to girls who once bullied Fuuka. It turns out that the girls locked Fuuka up in the school gymnasium, where she accidentally became trapped in Tartarus. SEES takes part in a dangerous mission to rescue her.

In Tartarus, Fuuka is awakened to the reality of her Persona power. At the same time, Natsuki, one of the girls who bullied Fuuka, wanders into the school to see if Fuuka is alright. Fuuka ends up saving Natsuki in spite of all that Natsuki did to her, and they become fast friends afterwards even though Natsuki has no memory of the incident. Under Natsuki and SEES' influence, Fuuka changes from a shy and isolated girl into a strong-willed, compassionate young woman. Both her Persona and her hacking skills manifest her desire to always be connected to her friends.

Fuuka is one of the girls that the Main Character can date over the course of the game. Since dating Fuuka involves tasting her horrible cooking, Main Character must maximize his Courage statistic before he can ask her out. If the Main Character makes the correct choices, Fuuka will fall in love with him, and he can help her to become more comfortable with who she is.

Should the player use a cheat device to unlock the Universe persona before the battle with Nyx, switching to it will have Fuuka reprimand you for cheating. However her choice of words are less harsher compared to Mitsuru.

Strega

Strega is a group of three rogue Persona-users who use the Dark Hour for personal benefit. They set up an internet site called "Revenge Request", where users can contract Strega to commit assassinations and other illegal activities. They become enemies of SEES because SEES is trying to put an end to the Dark Hour, as Strega carries out its activities during the Dark Hour.

Part-way through the game, the player discovers that Strega are artificial Persona users created by the Kirijo Group. They were picked up off the street and used as fodder for the corporation's experiments. Because their Personas were not awakened naturally, they must take suppressants supplied by Ikutsuki. The drugs keep their Personas from killing them, but have lethal side-effects.

It is revealed in FES that some of the artificial persona users turned into Shadows.

The three main members of Strega all dress similarly to specific sub-cultures - Takaya dresses like a hippie, Jin wears a bomb expert's jacket, and Chidori wears a ruffled gothic lolita dress.

Takaya

Takaya Sakaki (榊貴 隆也, Sakaki Takaya) Voiced by: Nobutoshi Canna (Japanese); Derek Stephen Prince (English)
Persona: Hypnos of Fortune arcanum

Takaya is the confident and charismatic young leader of Strega. He functions as the Main Character's foil, leading the rival group of Persona-users and setting himself up as a false messiah. In battle, Takaya uses a six-shot revolver to strike down his opponents. Aside from Aigis, he is the only Persona-user in the game who does not use an Evoker to manifest his Persona, instead summoning it "manually" by clutching his head and falling to his knees. Persona-users in previous games also did not use Evokers, but summoning their Personas never appeared to cause them any pain.

Since Takaya doesn't have long to live, he lives fully for the moment, heedless of the harm he causes others. His dearest wish is to see the world end along with his own life. Though he does have some care for Jin and Chidori, he has no qualms about using either of them as tools. At first, he tries to prevent SEES from killing the twelve Arcana Shadows, since it'll end his Revenge Request website business and his 'powers', and as if he is trying to save the world in his own way. But he embraces death once he realizes their true purpose. Near the end of the game he creates a cult centered around the coming of Nyx as a salvation, with himself as the high priest and Jin spreading rumors around the network.

Takaya's final defeat occurs when he tries to forcibly stop SEES from climbing Tartarus and facing Nyx. Afterwards he crawls to the top of the tower to witness the final battle. It is unknown whether he survived after the Main Character sealed Nyx away; if he did, it is likely that he does not have long to live, since he still needs to take the lethal suppressant drugs.

Jin

Jin Shirato (白戸 陣, Shirato Jin) Voiced by: Masaya Onosaka (Japanese); Grant George (English)
Persona: Moros of The Hermit arcanum

Jin is Takaya's faithful right-hand man, acting as his tactical adviser, the webmaster of "Revenge Request," and the occassional voice of reason to prevent Takaya from making foolish choices. He uses grenades and bombs in battle and is also a skilled computer hacker.

Jin appears very eager to be rid of SEES, since he believes that they are hypocrites who don't appreciate their own power. However, he is rational enough to limit Takaya's actions when necessary. Whenever Takaya takes a reckless approach, Jin is there to hold him back and remind him of what they are truly there for.

Jin is a zealot with strong belief in Takaya's goals. He is fiercely loyal to Takaya for "showing him out of darkness" and helping him through the Kirijo Group's experiments. In spite of this, he often inadvertently helps SEES by revealing important information. It is Jin who informs the Main Character about the truth behind Strega, their involvement in the coming of Nyx, and Shuji Ikutuski's real allegiance.

At the end of the game, Jin kills himself by setting off a grenade that holds back a hoarde of Shadows in Tartarus.

Chidori

Chidori Yoshino (吉野 千鳥, Yoshino Chidori) Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro (Japanese); Mona Marshall (English)
Persona: Medea of The Hanged arcanum

Chidori is the third member of Strega, and is known for her gothic lolita dress style, self-harming tendencies, and artistic ability. In battle she utilizes a red chained hand-axe. She is Fuuka's counterpart on the Strega team, and uses Medea's ability to radiate life energy to keep Strega from being detected by Fuuka's Persona. Like Takaya, she shows unusual Persona abilities, such as being able to heal living creatures (including her own wounds) and manifest Medea outside of the Dark Hour.

Chidori and Junpei meet by chance at Port Island Station. While she is initially very unpleasant to Junpei because he keeps interrupting her sketching, she eventually opens up to him due to his kindness and persistence. At the same time, Junpei tells her everything about SEES without knowing that she is a member of Strega. Chidori is led to believe that Junpei is SEES' leader.

During a full moon, Chidori kidnaps Junpei, thinking that he has the authority to call off SEES' mission to kill the Arcana Shadows. When the plan fails, she is wounded and ends up imprisoned in a Kirijo-controlled hospital. Mitsuru and Akihiko try to interrogate her, but meet with little success.

Junpei continues to visit Chidori in the hospital, and the two become closer. He is very concerned about her capacity for self-harm. However, after faking his death, Takaya returns to remind her where she truly belongs. Chidori is broken out of the hospital and rejoins Strega. However, her loyalties begin to falter when she is forced to fight Junpei, and when he is wounded by Takaya, she comes to terms with her love for him. She sacrifices her life to save his through the use of her Persona, and ends up giving Junpei some of her Persona's regenerative power, namely the passive skill Spring of Life which restores HP every turn. After her death Junpei inherits her sketch-book, which turns out of have been full of pictures of him.

In the Persona 3: FES expansion, it is possible for the player to revive Chidori later in the game if certain requirements are met. If so, then the player along with Junpei will arrive in the hospital to find Chidori alive. Unfortunately, Chidori has lost her memories only up to the point when she had awakened her Persona and no longer has a functioning persona.

She was revived when doctors took her corpse in for anatomy. For a tribute, they used the flowers she had in her room and placed them on her chest. Since Chidori constantly gave her life force to them every time Junpei came to visit her, her body took back its energy from the flowers and brought her back to life. It was hinted that Chidori had not completely lost all her memories, and that she had plans to find the person of her dreams as soon as she recovers.

Other characters

Pharos

Pharos (ファルロス, Farurosu) Voiced by: Akira Ishida (Japanese); Yuri Lowenthal (English)

A mysterious young boy who the main character sees in his dreams from time to time. The boy speaks of "The Fall" and the end, but his memories seem to be fragmented. He feels a strong bond of friendship with the Main Character.

After all twelve of the Arcana Shadows are defeated, Pharos regains his memories and leaves the Main Character's mind. It turns out that Pharos was the 'main' part of Death that Aigis imprisoned within the Main Character when the Main Character was only a small child. When Pharos escapes the Main Character's psyche, he takes on the physical form of Ryoji Mochizuki.

Shuji Ikutsuki

Shuji Ikutsuki (幾月 修司, Ikutsuki Shūji) Voiced by: Hideyuki Hori (Japanese); Dan Woren (English)

Inititally, Ikutsuki appears as the cheerful advisor, chairman, and 'boss' of SEES, always trying to keep the group in high spirits while discovering secrets about the Shadows.

In truth, Ikutsuki is working toward a completely opposite end, sharing Mitsuru's grandfather's dream of The Fall and the coming of Nyx. He was one of the scientists involved in the experiments at Gekkoukan ten years ago, including the creation of artificial Persona-users.

Ikutsuki manipulates SEES to destroy the twelve Arcana Shadows, promising them that once they do so they will eliminate the Dark Hour. But killing the twelve Arcana Shadows actually melds them together, allowing for the re-emergence of the thirteenth Arcana, Death. It is Death's function to summon Nyx and destroy the world.

After his lies are discovered, Ikutsuki reprograms Aigis to sacrifice the members of SEES as offerings for Nyx, and then kills Takeharu Kirijo. When Aigis breaks the programming and frees SEES, Ikutsuki jumps to his death from the top of Tartarus after being wounded in the stomach by a bullet. Unfortunately, his mission to revive Death was already complete by the time of his suicide.

Igor

Igor (イゴール, Igōru) Voiced by: Isamu Tanonaka (Japanese); Dan Woren (English)

A mysterious, long-nosed gentleman who resides in the Velvet Room. As in the other Persona games, Igor's purpose is to assist the player in acquiring new powers and Persona. At the end of the game, because the Main Character has fulfilled his contract, Igor uses the power of the Main Character's social links to forge a Persona of the World Arcana with the power to change reality. Igor states that he had never thought to see such power during his lifetime. He also makes an appearance in the anime sequel, Persona -trinity soul-, meeting with the protagonist Shin Kanzato as a fortune teller. He tells Shin that they have met before in the Velvet Room.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth (エリザベス, Erizabesu) Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro (Japanese); Tara Platt (English)

Elizabeth resides in the Velvet Room with Igor. While Igor takes care of Persona Fusions, Elizabeth watches over the Persona Compendium and gives the Main Character bounties to complete with rewards in return. If the player chooses to start the second playthrough, a new request will open which asks you to defeat her, the ultimate opponent. If the player chooses to accept the request, she reveals herself to be a Persona-user just like the Main Character, also capable of switching between multiple Personae mid-battle. She can be considered the "ultimate opponent" seeing as she is much stronger than "Nyx Avatar" and the fabled "Reaper". She can also be dated in the Persona 3: FES expansion, although she is not a Social Link. If the player chooses to complete her dating requests, Elizabeth gradually shows feelings for the Main Character throughout the scenes.

In Persona 4 she leaves the Velvet Room to free the soul of the Protagonist of Persona 3 from the seal of Nyx. Her older sister Margaret has taken over as Igor's assistant and the holder of the Persona Compendium.

Kurosawa

Kurosawa (黒沢巡査, Kurosawa Junsa; literally Policeman Kurosawa) Voiced by: Hirofumi Tanaka (Japanese); Grant George (English)

A police officer who works at the police station in the mall during the daytime. Although he is incapable of entering the Dark Hour, he has been informed of basic details of the situation and acts as the player's primary source of new weapons and armor.

Takeharu Kirijo

Takeharu Kirijo (桐条 武治, Kirijō Takeharu) Voiced by: Kōji Totani (Japanese); Derek Stephen Prince (English)

Mitsuru's father, and the current head of the Kirijo Group. Takeharu was assumed to be the only real adult survivor of the incident ten years ago. Yet the truth Takeharu knows was doctored by Ikutsuki, and he is later murdered by Ikutsuki at Tartarus.

Eiichiro Takeba

Eiichiro Takeba (岳羽 詠一郎, Takeba Eiichirō) Voiced by: Masashi Hamano (Japanese); Liam O'Brien (English)

Eiichiro Takeba is Yukari's father and one of the scientists working for the Kirijo Group during the Shadow Incident in 1999. The corporation blamed the accident on him even though he was trying to blow the whistle on their dangerous and unethical experiments. Eiichiro died while making a video for Yukari, which Ikutsuki later altered to manipulate SEES.

Ryoji Mochizuki

Ryoji Mochizuki (望月 綾時, Mochizuki Ryōji) Voiced by: Akira Ishida (Japanese); Yuri Lowenthal (English)

For a time Ryoji lives as a normal High School student, but he is actually Death, the herald of Nyx. In the game Ryoji is also referred to as the "Nyx Avatar" and the "Appriser". Ryoji's true form is Thanatos, the ultimate form of the Death Arcana which the Main Character was able to 'copy' due to the friendship he had built while Ryoji was Pharos. He and the Main Character share the same voice actor and the same basic appearance, with their hair color and eye color reversed.

Ryoji shows up as a new transfer student after the defeat of the twelve Arcana Shadows. He becomes fast friends with Junpei and the rest of the SEES group, though he avoids hanging out with the Main Character. His cheerful, reckless, flirty attitude makes him the talk of the school. Only Aigis remains cautious of him and considers him dangerous.

Eventually a battle with Aigis on Moonlight Bridge awakens Ryoji's memories of his true purpose. He realizes that he has no choice but to summon Nyx to destroy humanity, but is tortured by his destiny. While Ryoji was born a mindless Shadow, the part of him that existed as Pharos within the Main Character has given him human desires and emotions.

Ryoji gives the group a choice: they can kill his human form and forget all of their adventures in the Dark Hour, or they can let him live and suffer the despair of knowing that the apocalypse is imminent. Either way, according to him, it is inevitable that the world will end at the hands of Nyx. If players choose not to kill Ryoji, he eventually becomes the true form of the Nyx Avatar, holding the power of the 12 arcana yet having the true form of the 13th, Death. While showing definite reluctance to face the members of SEES, he attempts to fulfill his duty as harbringer of the fall.

Natsuki Moriyama

Natsuki Moriyama (森山 夏紀, Moriyama Natsuki) Voiced by: Yuka Komatsu (Japanese); Karen Strassman (English)

Fuuka's closest friend, and emotional support throughout the game. A Ganguro, she has a extremely tanned complexion, and orange-ish hair, similar in the style of most ganguro, or gyaru. She's shown to have a rather sadistic side, and has a knack for anyalzing people, and knowing exactly what to say to make them feel worthless. Fuuka, at first, was her target, because of Natsuki's own insecurities. She was drawn in by Fuuka's calls for help, and went into the Tartarus. Fuuka saved her from a Shadow by summoning her Persona, which encased them in a protective shell inside of her. After the ordeal, Natsuki lost her memory of the event, but apologized to Fuuka. The two quickly became best friends, and Natsuki's attitude proved a positive influence on Fuuka, making her a more confident girl. Natsuki's father became ill, and her family didn't have enough money, so they were forced to move. Natsuki then revealed that she and Fuuka were more similar than they thought, because Natsuki's parents both didn't pay much attention to her, claiming that they acted like she didn't even exist. She provided Fuuka with the resolve to earn her more powerful persona, sending a text message to Fuuka saying that "No matter how far apart we may be, we will always be connected", which gave Fuuka her resolve. She also provided Fuuka another set of advice, claiming that "If they don't accept you for who you are, then screw 'em." Throughout the game, Natsuki is the closest person to Fuuka, despite their differences. Natsuki also claimed that "I like you, even if you don't like yourself."

Persona 3: FES exclusive characters

Metis

Metis (メティス, Metisu) Voiced by

Chiwa Saito (Japanese) Stephanie Sheh (English)
Persona: Psyche of The Hierophant arcanum

A second android who claims to be Aigis' "sister." She joins Aigis on the team when Aigis inherits the Main Character's Persona and powers. She is able to use Orgia Mode (a tactic Aigis is no longer able to use). Metis is the emotional side of Aigis, separated from Aigis after Aigis wished to return back to being fully machine to escape the emotional burden of losing the main character. Due to this, Metis often feels helpless when Aigis threatens to leave her during their fight with the other party members in the Answer, as such an action would leave her all alone, like when Metis was first formed. Metis eventually returns into Aigis in the Velvet Room near the end of the game.

Social Links

Social Links can be formed with various characters that the Main Character interacts with in his daily life. They are used to strengthen the Main Character's Personas. It is possible to increase all the Social Links to the max in one play-through -- in Persona 3: FES, this unlocks a special item and special Persona (Orpheus KAI, a supercharged version of the main character's original Persona). In both versions it is possible to put a Social link in 'Reverse' or worse, break them.

A link can be reversed from lack of spending time with that Social Link, or if the player chooses the wrong dialogue. A broken link can only happen with female Social Links when the player goes out with two girls. In the Persona 3 expansion, a broken Social Link restrains the player from summoning or fusing Persona from that Arcana in which the link falls under. If not fixed, you are unable to access Personae from that Arcana throughout the game.

Social Links are only available on certain day, and the links in school go unavailable a week before exams. Some links also require the Main Character to be at a certain status in order to obtain them. Social Links with SEES and Pharos advance automatically with the plot. A few Social Links such as Akinari and Tanaka improve automatically if the player chooses to spend the day with them. The player can also forge Social Links with Yukari, Fuuka, and Mitsuru, as well as with the characters listed below.

Kenji Tomochika

The first Social Link the player can make in the game who welcomes the Main Character to the school. He is interested in older women and has a crush one of his teachers, Emiri. He eventually finds out that their 'love' was his own illusion, which is somewhat of a shock to him, but gives him maturity in return. His arcana is the Magician.

His final Social Link Persona is Surt, the leader of the fire giants and the burner of Yggdrasil at Ragnarok. His unique ultimate fire spell, 'Ragnarok' seems to connect that.

Fuuka Yamagishi

One of the members of SEES. She is rather shy and timid, and interested in cooking. She tries to expertise in cooking which she's horrible at, yet ignoring her talent and mechanisms because it would seem odd. By hanging out and eventually dating the Main Character she decides on what to do. The player must raise his Courage stat to 6 (Badass) in order to start the Social Link. Her Arcana is the Priestess.

Her final Social Link Persona is Scathach, warrior queen of the Land of Shadows in Celtic Myth.

Mitsuru Kirijo

One of the members of SEES. She is intelligent and commanding, and always bears responsibilities due to as the heir to the Kirijo Group. She eventually finds conflicts with her responsibilities with her family name and company, one of them being married to an older man of a company who can help her own without any love. As she forms love with the Main Character she finally denies that, and learns to be more free. The player must raise his Academic stat to 6 (Genius) and get the top grade in a school exam in order to start the Social Link. The player is not able to obtain the Social Link until November 21st. Her Arcana is the Empress.

Her final Social Link Persona is Alilat, which is shown as a huge stone with engravings on it. The engraved stone represents an actual deity worshiped by desert nomads.

Hidetoshi Odagiri

The vice president of the student council. Since he is very strict with school policies, he is not well-liked among the other students. After protecting the Main Character from the accusations from smoking in the school, he learns to respect others' thoughts and opinions. His arcana is the Emperor.

His final Social Link persona is Odin, the Norse prime god of battle and lightning.

Yukari Takeba

One of the most popular girls at Gekkoukan High and one of the members of SEES. Since Yukari is very popular, the Main Character must maximize his Charm stat to 6 (Charismatic) in order to ask her out. It seems that Yukari has family issues especially with her mother, but slowly opens up to the Main Character during the time dating with him. In Persona 3, at the final S. Link rank, she expresses her love to the Main Character giving him her favourite handphone strap and saying "I love you." whereas in Persona 3: FES, she decides to visit her mother with the Main Character and wants to go somewhere alone with him. Her arcana is the Lovers.

Her final Social Link for both games are Cybele, the Earth Mother and was worshipped in Anatolia from Neolithic times.

Nozomi Suemitsu

A student who claims to be an expert on food. He has unresolved issues concerning his late twin brother, which he has an inferiority complex with. He eventually realizes that after all, himself and his brother are different people and decides to become a food critic. His arcana is the Moon.

His final Social Link persona is Sandalphon, the 'tall angel' over holy songs and brother of Metatron.

Chihiro Fushimi

The treasurer for the student council. She is not comfortable around men, and she secretly enjoys reading shōjo manga. Chihiro is one of the girls whom the Main Character can date. At one time she, as the treasurer, is accused of having stolen the fund for the school. As the story with her unfolds, it is revealed that her family is quite poor. Her arcana is Justice.

Her final Social Link persona is Melchizedek, the righteous king.

Chihiro also appears in Persona 4.

Maiko

A little girl who hangs out at a local shrine. Her parents are in the process of getting a divorce. The main character meets Maiko playing by herself at the Naganaki Shrine. Due to her parents continuous fighting, Maiko begins to break down. She later believes that it's her fault for her parents having a divorce, so she plans to run away from home. In the end, Maiko accepts the sudden change in her life and falls in love with the main character for assisting her with the problems involving her parents. Her arcana is the Hanged Man.

Her final Social Link persona is Attis, the reborn god.

Akinari Kamiki

A young man with a fatal illness. He keeps a journal and eventually begins writing a story. The story he wrote was about a pink alligator who swallowed a flightless bird who was his only friend. His arcana is the Sun. It is hinted that in the last S. Link Event with him that he has already died and that the protagonist has been speaking with his ghost the entire time (he is shown fading away).

His final Social Link persona is Asura, the Hindu demi god.

Mitsuko and Bunkinchi

An old couple that runs a used bookstore. Their dead son was once a teacher at the Main Character's school. Their arcana is the Hierophant. They watch over the persimmon tree at the school for it's a remembrance to them about their son, who was a teacher there. It is eventually going to be cut off, and the old couple is uneasy. But they soon just accept the change in their lives when they find out the tree is being cut down to build a new addition to the school.

Their final Social Link persona is Kohryu, the golden dragon and guardian of nature. Kohryu is also the prime leader of the four sacred beasts that each protects a direction and an element. They are Suzaku, Seiryuu, Byakko, and Genbu in Japanese pronunciations. It fits, since the 4 are also Personas in the game that are used to fuse Kohryu.

Bebe (Andre Roland Jean Gérard)

An exchange student from France. He is the president of the Fashion Club. When the Social Link advances, his aunt suddenly dies. Because of his aunt's death, he is forced to return to France by his uncle. He designs a kimono with the main character to help him stay, but unfortunately he returned to his country the day after the kimono's completion. According to the FES ending, Bebe was planning to convince his uncle with the kimono, but he realized that all the people that helped support his trip to Japan were suffering in his absence, especially his widowed uncle, so he stayed. His arcana is Temperance.

His final Social Link Persona is Yurlungur, serpentine deity of a holy pond in FES.

Keisuke Hiraga

A student the Main Character meets when the player joins one of three different clubs. He is the son of a doctor and feels that his father is pressuring him into going into the same career. He first just decides to become what he wants (based on the club you attend to), but he finds that he really does want to become a doctor out of his own wishes. His arcana is Fortune.

His final Social Link persona is Norn, the sisters of fate.

Maya (Y-Ko)

A person the Main Character meets on an online game called Innocent Sin Online who enjoys his presence as someone she can tell all her problems to. Nicknamed herself to Maya to complement the Main Character's screenname, Tatsuya, when they first met, directly refers to the protagonists of Persona 2. She is later revealed to be the Main Character's homeroom teacher, Ms. Isako Toriumi, who ends up unknowingly revealing to the Main Character a crush for him. In the Japanese version of Persona 3, Maya and Tatsuya were originally Y-Ko (Y子) and N-Jima (N島), namesakes of the protagonists of the first Megami Tensei title and the game they were playing was "Devil Busters Online". Since Megami Tensei was never released in America, it was necessary to change it. Her arcana is the Hermit.

Her final Social Persona is Arahabaki, the ancient Japanese god.

Tanaka

The president of a company that sells many products and is also host of a home shopping network. You need to be at a certain Charm level, since that's what inspires him to choose the Main Character as a teen model. After seeing that the Main Character doesn't realize he's being swindled by him, he decides to teach him about business. His business ethics are clearly questionable. It is implied by him that he grew up very poor, and that making money by any means was his one goal, which he makes in large amounts. He learns how to do business with honor instead of tricks through talks with the Main Character, and he slowly learns to help people around him by his own methods. He does this by donating 10 million yen to poor children, calling it an "investment", and that they'll all owe him when they become wealthy like he is. His arcana is the Devil.

His final Social Link persona is Beelzebub, the ruler of Hell.

Kazushi Miyamoto

A confident athlete. He has an injured knee, but he asks the Main Character to keep it a secret from his teammates. Shortly after joining one of the three clubs available, the main character meets Kazushi. Later on his knee injury begins to get even worse. Kazushi states that he has to win the regionals to fulfill the promise to his nephew (His nephew was involved in a car accident and he requires rehabilitation; if Kazushi wins the regionals, then his nephew will attempt walking again). His arcana is the Chariot.

His final Social Link persona is Thor, the god of thunder.

Mamoru Hayase

A star athlete from a different school. His family is poor and he has to work hard just to put food on their plates. In the past, Mamoru's father drove off a cliff and died. He keeps the car key his father used as a good luck charm to support his family. His arcana is the Star.

His final Social Link persona is Lucifer, the light bearer and the fallen angel. In FES a new form of Lucifer has been added, which is the 'fallen' form of Lucifer and is of the Judgement Arcana. Lucifer of the Star Arcana was thus renamed to Helel, the Hebrew name for Lucifer.

Yuko Nishiwaki

The manager of the sports teams. She doesn't know what to do with her life until she helps a group of children improve their running skills. Yuko is one of the girls that the Main Character can date. Her arcana is Strength.

Her final Social Link persona is Siegfried, the legendary dragonslayer of German myth.

Mutatsu

A strange monk who spends much of his time drinking at the local night club. He is estranged from his wife and son. Eventually through his discussions with the main character Mutatsu gathers the strength to face his wife and son and attempts to reconcile with them. His arcana is the Tower.

His final Social Link persona is Chi You, the half-bull god who rebelled against the yellow emperor.