So, I decided to jump back into Persona 3 recently, with Reload coming out and all the buzz. Felt like revisiting an old haunt. Booted it up, got through the opening bits, and then bam – the naming screen. Always a bit of a pause moment for me in these games.
I sat there staring at the prompt: “Enter protagonist’s name”. And I remembered thinking, way back when I first played it on the PS2, “Wait, does this guy even have an official name?” It’s not like they call him anything specific in the early game dialogue, right? It’s all “you” or “transfer student”.
Finding the Names
Naturally, like anyone does these days, I kinda just poked around online a bit back then, and did the same thing again just to refresh my memory. It’s funny how this topic keeps coming up. Turns out, there isn’t just one single answer, which is probably why I was confused in the first place.
Here’s what I found, or rather, re-confirmed:
- Minato Arisato: This name popped up in the manga adaptation. A lot of folks who read that first, or were deep in the fandom back then, really stuck with this one. It was the first “official” name given outside the game, I think.
- Makoto Yuki: Then came the anime movies. They decided to go with Makoto Yuki. And since the movies reached a pretty wide audience, this name got super popular too. Later games like the dancing one also used Makoto Yuki.
So you’ve got these two main camps, kinda. Minato folks and Makoto folks.
What I Ended Up Doing
Honestly? The first time I played Persona 3, years ago? I think I just used my own name. Felt more immersive that way, like I was the one making friends and fighting shadows. It’s kinda the point of silent protagonists in RPGs, isn’t it? To let you project yourself onto them.
This time around, playing Reload, I went with Makoto Yuki. Why? No super deep reason. I guess I watched the movies more recently than I read the manga, so it felt a little more familiar. Plus, it sounds pretty cool, gotta admit.
But really, the game asks you to name him. That’s the core of it. Whether you pick Minato, Makoto, your own name, or just call him ‘Blue Haired Dude’, it works. The story unfolds the same way. The experiences, the social links, Tartarus… that’s the meat of it, not what name shows up in the menu.
It’s just interesting how communities latch onto these “official” names when the game itself gives you the freedom. Shows how much people connect with the character, I suppose. They want a consistent label for him when talking about him or writing about him. Makes sense. But yeah, for my playthrough, Makoto Yuki it is this time. Felt right.
