The Persona 3 Movies Made the Game Better To Me

I just completed Persona 3 Reload for the first time a few days ago, and immediately started reading some Reddit posts regarding the ending. Through those posts, I became aware of the Persona 3 movie series. I wouldn’t have even considered checking them out, as I’ve seen the Persona 5 anime series, which is really crappy. However, I kept seeing people talking about how much the P3 movies elevated the story of the original, which compelled me. P3’s story is perhaps the least present of 3, 4, and 5, the “new” trilogy of the Persona series, especially in the first half. The second half had some really excellent moments, but the first half feels pretty directionless, very “gamey”. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time, but a more structured, plotted version was exciting.

I decided to watch these films, out of curiosity. I have watched the first 2 of 4 at this point, and I came out of it very compelled for one specific reason, which I think changes my perception on the game retroactively. That change regards the protagonist, named Yuki Makoto in the films, and nameless in the game. His shift from a silent player-insert to a fully voiced character with a unique personality was, at times, kind of shocking for me, in a good way.

Silent protagonists in games have always been interesting to me. They function nicely as a way to make the player feel more connected to the character who they’re playing, but I find myself getting frustrated by their lack of agency and the way they basically seem like a psychopath by not responding or verbally interacting with the other characters. It can be funny at times, but for me, it usually takes me out of the story. Persona’s protagonists are silent, but you can often choose from some basic dialogue options. This works better, because at least conversations aren’t completely one-sided, and sometimes it can make the protagonist seem like a cool, silent type who responds in short sentences. But also, these choices have very little impact on the story. You can get social link points to make your friends like you more, but your relationships will flourish even if you pick the worst possible options, their meters will just move a bit slower.

The series has some really excellent characters that make up the party. I haven’t gotten around to playing 4 yet, but basically the whole cast of 3 and 5 are genuinely endearing. Characters like Akechi in 5 and Chidori in 3 are outstanding characters, in my opinion. However, I find that they are most interesting while interacting with other characters besides the protagonist. When they are speaking to the player, it basically feels like they are monologuing, and the player occasionally offers these scripted responses that add very little to the conversation. It’s weak, and awkward. There was a moment at the end, in 3, where the party survives their final battle, and, with the protagonist, who appears to have sacrificed themselves, is nowhere to be found. It’s a beautiful moment, and it was genuinely moving to me. But then, the protagonist reveals themselves to have survived, and they all cry tears of joy seeing him alive. But I felt nothing at this moment, where my character hasn’t seriously participated in a single conversation in the whole 60 hour game. I found this element of the story to be, by far, the weakest part of the game for me. I spent the whole game playing this weirdo with no stake in the plot, who barely speaks, and when he does, it’s just generic nothingness that doesn’t add anything to the plot.

That all changed for me when I started the first film. For the first conversation or two as Makoto meets his new friends, he is silent. It feels even more awkward than in the game, and you can see the confusion on the character’s faces as they get nothing in return from him. And then he does speak to introduce himself, and it’s genuinely shocking. Unlike in the game, Makoto’s general lack of interest in conversation is a huge part of his character here. He can speak, and often does, but just as frequently chooses not to. It is revealed that, due to a tragedy earlier in his life, he is afraid of making connections with those around him, and generally has little interest in doing anything. He doesn’t even seem to care about living.

All of those moments where I was cursing Makoto for his lack of input into major conversations of the game are now essentially a core part of his character. All of the characters seem actively frustrated, and less close with him compared to the game. They find his demeanor offputting and upsetting. Now, of course, he begins to open up, and I’m sure by the end of the fourth movie he will love his friends and be open with them. But to see the “silent protagonist” translated into an extremely anti-social character was fascinating to me. The difference is how other characters react to him, where in the games they, for the most part, act like your best friend 5 minutes after meeting them.

Point being, I found that this change in medium added a lot to how I see the protagonist in the game, instead of just retreading the same story as the original, like the P5 anime does.