Summary
It’s been stated thatPersona 3 Reloadis a remake of the originalPersona 3, and this is evident in the lack of a female protagonist (who was exclusive toPersona 3 Portable) andThe Answer. WhileThe Answerhas been listed as part ofPersona 3 Reload’s DLC expansion pack, some fans ofPortable’s female protagonist, Kotone Shiomi, remain disappointed. However, it’s not just Shiomi that longtimePersona 3players wanted to see in a full remake.
Prior toPersona 3 Reload’s release, fans were hoping that several Social Links from the male protagonist’s route and the originalPersona 3would be replaced with the female protagonist’s Social Links fromPortable. This ended up not being the case. Fortunately,Reloadincludes a new feature called “Linked Episodes” where the protagonist can spend time with any of the male SEES members. Reaching “Episode 4” unlocks a Persona Fusion. Although appreciated, some feel it doesn’t quite hit the mark like thePersona 3 PortableSocial Links.
Requirements:
Join the library or health committee
Saori Hasegawa is a character that only appears in the female protagonist’s route inPersona 3 Portable. She also made a cameo in thePersona 3movies. Instead of Maya, Saori serves as the Hermit Social Link for the female protagonist. Saori is a member of the library (or health) committee, and while she’s a sweet girl, she has a very hard time sticking up for herself. Her passiveness usually winds ups with her getting bullied and being the center of harmful rumors, which the female protagonist witnesses up close in Saori’s Social Link. There are some comparisons to be made to Saori Hasegawa and Chihiro Fushimi, who isthe Justice Social Link inPersona 3/Reload. Maybe having Saori would have been redundant, but it’s likely she was excluded becauseReloadwas always meant to be a remake of the originalPersona 3.
The Hermit Social Link inPersona 3/Reloadis Maya, an online gamer you meet in an MMO. Her name and the one she gives to the protagonist’s avatar, Tatsuya, and the name of the MMO are blatant references toPersona 2: Innocent Sin. As the protagonist spends more time with Maya, she opens up to him about her love for teaching and her troubles at work. She even confesses to him in Rank 10. At the end of her Social Link, Maya logs off Innocent Sin Online for good. On 3/4, visiting the Faculty Office at Gekkoukan High reveals that Maya was actually Toriumi, the homeroom teacher, and she’ll learn that “Tatsuya” was the protagonist. She does not take this well.
There aremixed opinions on Maya’s Social Linkand her identity. While she’s not a maid and calls the protagonist “Master” like Kawakami, some players aren’t impressed that she asks the protagonist out for dinner before reeling herself back in. There’s also Rank in her Social Link where Maya admits to crushing on one of her students, who just happens to be the protagonist. Those who find this “controversy” may have preferred Saori in place of Maya for the Hermit Social Link.
September 1 (evenings)
Courage (Badass)
Ken Amada has a solid Linked Episode inPersona 3 Reload, and it shows everything it needs to without having to stretch it for 10 Ranks. Ken’s Social Link (Justice) inPortableis very infamous, as he’s one of the characters the female protagonist can “date” if choosing certain dialogue options in the Social Link. As for the male protagonist, Ken is implied to “look up” to him as a mentor, andthis is shown in how he actsaround the protagonist. One benefit to Ken’s Social Link inPortablewas that it was an evening-only Social Link.
For the male protagonist, Chihiro Fushimi represents the Justice Social Link. She starts off timid but slowly grows more confident. Unfortunately, as the Student Council’s Treasurer, she’s the prime suspect when the money for the council goes missing. If the correct dialogue options were selected, Chihiro would confess her love to the protagonist during Rank 9. She may not be a member of SEES, but Chihiro is a difficult Social Link to swap out.
The hangouts/Linked Episodes inPersona 3 Reloadare there to substitute for Social Links for the male party members (including Koromaru). This works in Ken’s favor, but prefer Social Links. Not to mention Ken and Chihiro are aligned with the Justice Arcana, so forReloadto give Ken a Social Link and keep Chihiro’s Social Link, they would have to reassign an Arcana. Because of this, it’s quite clear whyReloadwent with Linked Episodesinstead of replacing the Social Linksfrom the originalPersona 3.
Any time after defeating the Priestess Shadow
Charm (Queen Bee)
Akihiko Sanada was one, if notthemost, popular choices for the female protagonist to romance back inPersona 3 Portable. Going through his Social Link, it’s hard not to like him. Despite his outstanding reputation and fan-girls, Akihiko’s a good, albeit socially-awkward, person who genuinely cares for his friends. His whole motive for getting stronger traces back to his adopted sister, Miki Sanada. Miki was an unfortunate victim of the fire at the orphanage that she, Akihiko, and Shinjiro grew up in. As a result, Akihiko wants to become stronger so that he can protect those he loves. If the player chose the correct dialogue choices throughout his Social Link, Akihiko would confess his love to the female protagonist in Rank 9, which could be reciprocated or declined.
The Star Social Link inReloadgoes to Mamoru Hayase.While Hayase’s Social Link isn’t bad,Persona 3already has a “sports-team” Social Link in Kazushi Miyamoto. It’s debatable which of the “sports Social Links” is better, but two (three, if counting Yuko) Social Links locked in the sports club are somewhat redundant. Despite this, Hayase’s story is touching, and some have even compared him toPortable’s Star Social Link (Akihiko).
Reloaddoes a good job of showing Akihiko’s conflict in his Linked Episodes. However, there are still many that would have preferred him as the Star Social Link instead of Hayase. Like the other male SEES members, his Social Link would likely have needed a rewrite fromPortable.
N/A, starts automatically on 4/23
Junpei and the protagonist start off well, but things get rocky after the third Full Moon Operation. This isn’t any different fromPersona 3, as Junpei’s inferiority complex results in him giving the protagonist the cold shoulder - regardless of which protagonist you’re playing (Portable). WhilePersona 3 Reload’s Linked Episode helps the protagonist to understand Junpei better, his Social Link inPortableis renowned by mostPersona 3fans. He’s even the only male SEES memberthat the female protagonist cannot date.
Loyal toPersona 3, the Magician Social Link for the protagonist inReloadis Kenji Tomochika. Kenji is into older women, and his entire Social Link follows him and his one-sided “relationship” with Emiri Kanou, a teacher at Gekkoukan High. While Kenji himself isn’t a bad person, his Social Link can get redundant and, at times, frustrating whenP3Rplayers are pressured to answer the “correct” responses just to get the most Social Link points. Instead of dissuading Kenji and being realistic with him, the options that net the player the most points are the ones thatencourageKenji to ask Emiri out, to go with her to Kyushu, etc. Fortunately, thanks to the protagonist for being supportive, Kenij realizes the weight of the entire situation by Rank 9 and smartens up.
Kenji’s Social Link is pretty infamous amongPersona 3fans. To some, it’s extremely uncomfortable since Kenji is trying to hook up with a teacher while he’s still a second-year-high school student. To others, it feels wasteful whenJunpei could have been the Magician Social Linkfor the male protagonist inReload. If Junpei’s Social Link had “made the cut” forPersona 3 Reload, then there’s no doubt it would be heavily re-written to accommodate the male protagonist, which may be a reason whyReloadstuck with five “Episodes” instead.
September 7 (evenings)
N/A, but has a deadline on 10/4
Shinjiro Aragaki was in the originalPersona 3, but he wasn’t a Social Link nor could the protagonist spend time (i.e, Linked Episodes) with him like he can inReload. However, he was swapped out for Nozomi Suemitsu for the female protagonist, taking his place as the Moon Social Link. He’s one of the stricter Social Links to Rank Up, as his Social Link is only available for a short period of time. Thus, it was advised to spend time with him whenever he was available. Shinjiro’s a bit difficult to get to know, purposefully trying to keep the female protagonist at arm’s length so that she doesn’t get attached and vice versa. Ironically, maxing out his Social Link “saves” him fromgetting killed by Takaya (10/4). Instead, Shinjiro falls into a coma for the rest of the game. If on a NG+, he can even visit the female protagonist on 3/4.
As stated,Persona 3has Nozomi Suemitsu. He’s not exactly a gentleman and his Social Link is mostly played for laughs. Suemitsu has his own baggage that comes to light in Rank 10, but there’s a widened gap between the “comedy” of his Social Link, and the “seriousness” of it. Suemitsu is part of a cult, preaching to others that if they donate enough money, they’ll “go to Paradise.” This comes back to bite him in Rank 9, and by Rank 10, the protagonist learns about Suemitsu’s brother, who died of food poisoning. It’s a shocking change in the overall mood of Suemitsu’s Social Link, and one that should have been explored much earlier. Fortunately for Suemitsu, he manages to turn himself around.
When comparing the two, it’s obvious why fans wouldn’t have mindedif Suemitsu’s Social Link had been droppedfor Shinjiro. The humor in Suemitsu’s Social Link isn’t to everyone’s taste and can get repetitive after seeing it for three Ranks in a row. Despite this,Reload’s Linked Episodes for Shinjiro were met with praise, as it explored the original SEES back when Shinjiro was still in school.
