Atlus producer Kazushi Wada has explained the absence of a female protagonist option in Persona 3 Reload, citing cost as a major factor. The game, released on February 2, is a comprehensive remake of the 2006 JRPG, incorporating various features from earlier versions of Persona 3, including new scenes and mechanics.

While Persona 3 Portable allowed players to embody a female protagonist, known as Minako Arisato or Kotone Shiomi, offering distinct gameplay with new social links and romance choices, fans hoping for her return in Reload were disappointed. Producer Kazushi Wada acknowledged that considering a female protagonist was on the table but ultimately deemed it impractical due to the substantial time and expense involved.

In an interview with Famitsu, Wada expressed regret over the impossibility of integrating the female protagonist from Portable into Reload. Recreating her content, which diverges significantly from the original game, would necessitate recreating social links, events, and character interactions from scratch, a monumental task deemed financially unfeasible.

Why the Female Protagonist was Omitted

Despite fan disappointment, adapting the female protagonist's storyline from Persona 3 Portable to Reload posed substantial challenges. The extensive visual novel-like elements of Portable would require extensive reworking and animation, along with replicating NPCs and relationships unique to her route, all of which would incur considerable costs.

Instead of incorporating the female protagonist, Atlus chose to focus on remaking The Answer epilogue from Persona 3 FES as DLC, a decision driven by both technical complexity and fan demand. Wada revealed that while initially excluded due to difficulties, overwhelming requests prompted the team to initiate development, with the DLC currently in progress.