Anyone who talks about some of the most popular modern JRPG series is bound to mention the name Persona at some point or the other. Starting out as a spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei series, Persona has quickly become one of the most popular IPs from this developer, and one of the biggest reasons as to why this is the case is the changes they made to the formula from Persona 3 onwards.
All of a sudden, a game that already had tight JRPG combat had a bunch of life sim mechanics integrated into the mix, turning the experience into something totally new and unique for long-time veterans of the franchise. Persona 3 was a groundbreaking title for the franchise, and it's no wonder as to why there three different versions of this title that Atlus released over the course of three years.
So, as is the case with any important title, fans have already gone above and beyond to try and figure out every detail about this game. However, even the most inquisitive players would've missed out on ten well-hidden things about Persona 3.
10 Chihiro's Design Is Inspired By An Unused Concept Design For Fuuka
Chihiro Fushimi is one of the more memorable characters in Persona 3, and one of the few characters who actually makes an appearance in Persona 4 as well.
Her design was actually based on an unused concept design for Fuuka, who ended up going through several changes before settling upon her final design. Thankfully, one of her early designs didn't go to waste and served as a base for Chihiro's final design.
9 The Development Staff Adored Mitsuru
Anyone who's played Persona 3 would be well aware of the fact that most players love Mitsuru and consider her to be the best waifu in the game.
Well, this sentiment was echoed by the development staff as well, who prefer Mitsuru over the other cast members.
8 Junpei's Victory Pose References John Travolta's Iconic Post From Saturday Night Fever
Junpei fulfills the first friend trope that is present across the Persona games and provides the bulk of the comic relief in the game.
His original victory pose is also a pretty clever reference to John Travolta's iconic disco pose that he pulled off in the legendary movie, Saturday Night Fever.
7 The Fictional MMORPG In The Game Is Just A Massive Persona 2 Reference
In Persona 3, the protagonist can sign up for an MMORPG called Innocent Sin, where they can virtually befriend and date a character by the name of Maya.
Players who are well-versed with the history of the Persona series would instantly recognize the name of the MMORPG itself to be inspired by the title Persona 2: Innocent Sin, where one of the main characters is also named Maya.
6 The Headphones And MP3 Players Used By The Game's Protagonists Are Real
Both versions of the protagonist in Persona 3 Portable use a headphone and an MP3 player respectively, which definitely look pretty cool. These items are actually inspired by two electronic items in real life — the Audio Technica ATH-EM7 and the Sony Walkman NW-S205F.
Audio Technica even went on to release a special version of these headphones with a P3 logo, but trying to get one of these limited edition products right now can cost a pretty penny indeed.
5 The Persona Users Were Originally Meant To Use Tarot Cards Like In Persona 4
Initially, the characters of Persona 3 had a pretty tame way of summoning their Personas — using a Tarot Card in the same vein as how the characters bring up their Personas in the fourth game.
However, this system was altered with the inclusion of Evokers, which were more fitting with the theme of death that was prevalent throughout the game.
4 The Protagonist's Gender Was Supposed To Be Swappable From The Get-Go
During the game's development, the idea of the protagonist being gender-swappable from the very start had already been discussed. However, due to time constraints, this concept was scrapped for the base game.
Instead, this was integrated into Persona 3 Portable instead, which is certainly a great inclusion that adds a ton of replayability to the overall experience.
3 Yukari Was Supposed To Be The Only Love Interest In The Game
Persona games are notorious for letting its protagonists be absolute sleazeballs that can date multiple people over the course of the game.
So, people who enjoy this mechanic would certainly be alarmed by the fact that the first Persona game to introduce dating was only going to make this option viable only for Yukari before the integration and exploration of the Social Link system completely flipped this over its head.
2 The Game Would've Originally Taken Place Over The Course Of Three Years
Another plan that was scrapped during the development of Persona 3 was the fact that the game would actually take place over three school years.
However, the developers realized how ridiculously long that would be in execution, and decided to reduce this time period to around a year instead.
1 The Protagonist Was Supposed To Have A Funeral
Persona 3 has the saddest ending in the entire series — after all, the main character pretty much gives up his life to save his friends and the world.
So, it was only fitting that Atlus would toy with the idea of integrating a funeral in the game, coupled with all the maxed out Social Links attending this ceremony. However, Atlus decided to opt for a more ambiguous ending instead, which certainly paid dividends.