List of Persona 3 Characters - SEES Members - Protagonist

Protagonist

The protagonist (主人公, Shujinkō?, lit. "protagonist" or "hero") of Persona 3 is the character named and controlled by the player. He moves into the dorm in the introduction of the game, learning of his ability to summon the Personas Orpheus (オルフェウス, Orufeusu?) and Thanatos (タナトス, Tanatosu?) of The Death Arcana when the dorm is attacked by Shadows during the Dark Hour. Mitsuru asks him to join SEES and he is later elected the team's leader in combat. The Protagonist is unique among his cohorts in that he has the ability to carry multiple Personas and switch between them during battle. Over the course of the game, he also gains Messiah (メサイア, Mesaia?) of The Judgement Arcana and Orpheus Telos (オルフェウス･改, Orufeusu Kai?) of The Fool Arcana in Persona 3 FES. With the power of the Wild Card he has access to over 150 different Personas. He is also the only character with access to the Velvet Room, in which the player is able to fuse together multiple Personas together to create a new, more powerful one. Over the course of the game, the player is challenged to manage the Protagonist's day-to-day schedule as he attends school, takes part in extracurricular activities, and spends time with classmates and other characters. Igor, the proprietor of the Velvet Room, encourages the Protagonist to form Social Links with people, as they will determine his potential in combat. Within the simulation elements of Persona 3, the player is able to form Social Links with characters in-game, each represented by one of the Major Arcana and granting various bonuses during Persona fusion, increasing the player's proficiency in battle.

The Protagonist is an orphan; his parents died ten years prior to the events of Persona 3, which sees him returning to the city he grew up in. In December, the player learns that a Shadow known as "Death" (デス?) was sealed in the Protagonist as a child by Aigis, who was unable to defeat it herself. The Death Shadow was able to lead the Protagonist to twelve other greater Shadows; by defeating them, The Appriser was created, a being which summons Nyx to the world to bring about its destruction. SEES battles The Appriser on the roof of Tartarus, but are not able to stop Nyx's descent to Earth. The Protagonist enters Nyx and is able to seal it using the power of the Social Links he formed over the past year. While able to seal away Nyx from humanity, the Protagonist dies after the battle and his soul becomes the Great Seal. In Persona 3 FES, during the events of The Answer, SEES is led to the Great Seal the Protagonist formed, which is under attack by a creature called Erebus. In Persona 4, it is revealed that Igor's assistant Elizabeth left her position to find a way to rescue the Protagonist from his fate as the Great Seal.

As he or she works with SEES, the protagonist builds up the Social Link for the Fool Arcana (愚者, Gusha?), which symbolizes the beginning and infinite possibilities of the journey ahead of the protagonist. When the protagonist decides not to kill Ryoji Mochizuki, the Social Link of the Fool Arcana changes into the Judgement Arcana (審判, Shinpan?), which symbolizes the end of his journey and looking back at what has happened. The final Social Link the protagonist attains is the Universe Arcana (宇宙, Uchū?), a card from the Thoth tarot that replaces World Arcana (世界, Sekai?), symbolizing the full awareness of the protagonist's place in the world.

He is voiced by Akira Ishida in the Japanese version of Persona 3 and Yuri Lowenthal in the English version. In the manga adaption of Persona 3, the Protagonist is named Minato Arisato (有里 湊, Arisato Minato?). And is portrayed as a teenager often tired or drowsy, who likes to eat and cook food. Soejima took longer to design the Protagonist than any other character, as the game's other characters would be made to complement his design. Soejima wrote in Art of Persona 3, "Initially, he looked more honest, like an ordinary, handsome young man. But, I worked to achieve greater ambiguity in his expression." In Persona 3 Portable, released on the PlayStation Portable in 2009, an option was added to control a female protagonist, voiced by Marina Inoue in the Japanese adaptation, and Laura Bailey in the English adaptation. This selection alters several aspects of the story, various Social Links, and background music. It also includes the female version of Orpheus.