Makoto Yūki/Kotone Shiomi

"Don't let your kids watch it!" - Robbie Rotten This article contains potentially sensitive content that may be discomforting or upsetting to certain users. Reader discretion is advised! Reason: Topics of suicide.

Makoto Yūki/Kotone Shiomi Who cares?/I don't care... Gender: Male Player by choice (Persona 3 Portable) Type: Emo Protagonist (Makoto Yūki) Bubbly Protagonist (Kotone Shiomi) Age: 16-17 Species: Human (formerly) Portrayed by: Akira Ishida (Japanese) Yuri Lowenthal (English; original/FES/Portable and Dancing All Night) Aleks Le (Persona 3 Reload) Marina Inoue (Kotone; Japanese) Laura Bailey (Kotone; English) Status: Deceased Alive (Minato, P3 Manga) Media of origin: Persona 3

"DONE AND DUSTED."

— Makoto's All-Out Attack card in Persona 3 Reload.

Makoto Yūki/Minato Arisato/Minako Arisato/Kotone Shiomi is the main protagonist in Persona 3, and a posthumous character in the game's epilogue The Answer, and Persona 4 Arena Ultimate. He/She is a transfer student enrolling in Gekkoukan High School in Iwatodai City. He/She is an orphan whose parents died on the Moonlight Bridge in their car during a fatal incident a decade prior to the game.

Come, THANATOS!

Why He/She is Igor's Best Guest

Overall

"Even if we lose them, we'll get them back."

— Makoto Yūki in Persona 3 The Movie #4: Winter of Rebirth

1. Makoto had one of the most badass awakenings the the entire Persona franchise. A sinister smile pointing a gun at oneself and literally unleashing the demon within him made it all the more terrifying.
2. It's true that Makoto is a silent protagonist, can look emotionless, but he/she is very kind hearted and forgiving.
3. The way Makoto summons Orpheus/Thanatos/Messiah by shooting himself/herself in the head without dying can look really badass, considering the game's message is about accepting death.
4. While being a silent protagonist, Makoto is very stoic, reserved and calm, sometimes, had no care in the world, not even dying, and gathered by the fact that he remains unmoved even when guns are pointed at him, as well as walking under a green sky and being surrounded by blood pools and coffins everywhere at the beginning of Persona 3.
5. He is very well designed. Especially with the emo hair.
   • His new hitman-esque battlesuit in Persona 3 Reload is a major improvement over his school uniform and is suitable for combat.
6. That goes to saying his/her Personas are not only well designed, but symbolizes their fates in the game.
   • Both genders of Orpheus, are based after the Greek mythology Orpheus.
   • Thanatos, the Greek god of death, represents the theme of the game, and Makoto's fate later on.
   • And lastly, Messiah. It is based after Jesus of Nazareth.
7. Makoto gets along well with the members of S.E.E.S, Aigis, Shuji Ikutsuki (until he betrayed the group), Ryoji/Pharos, Elizabeth/Theodore.
8. Regardless of how vague his relationship with Strega was (prior to Persona 3 Reload), the three members serve as a great parallel to Makoto would've become had not been for the influence of S.E.E.S., to which not only the four received powers they never want, but:
   • Chidori is what Makoto would've become if he never formed any close connections that can cause him to be more bitter and cynical.
   • Jin is what Makoto would've turn if he let his arrogant viewpoint of logic and lack of own well-being over human emotion and self-care.
   • and lastly, Takaya. Makoto would've turned out like the leader of Strega if he never let his nihilistic views and desires of death go behind him.
9. Unlike Ren and Yu (who both went home to their original hometown after end of their school year and saying goodbye to their friends happily), Makoto died on the day of their graduation, resting on top of Aigis' lap (other members of S.E.E.S. in the PSP version).
   • In the following aftermath of saving the world by sealing Nyx, but at the cost of his life, making the sacrifice by becoming a door, and preventing the end of all life, Makoto spends his remaining days until March 5th as a regular highschool student, then lies on Aigis' lap while having their last talk together, and sleeps for eternity.
10. "Personal space, please."
    • "That's impressive. You chained your nose to your face so you won't lose it."
    • "It's a cat, dammit!"
    • "Fire, probably."
    • (Casually slaps Junpei) "Sorry. Live strong."
    • "Oh. Sorry."
    • "I don't care."
    • "Who cares?"
    • "Per... so... na!"
    • "Does it matter?"
    • "Aigis, you are not a machine..."
    • " Even if we lose them, we'll get them back."
    • "Ten years ago, ever since that accident, I don't think I was really alive. But after coming to this city, and spending time with my friends... That's how, for the first time... I think I was able to start living."
    • "Don't cry now."
11. His personality in the game/manga/movies may differ:
    • He is more of a neutral and desensitized character in the games. Like almost nothing fazed him as much anymore since the death of his parents (and can also be a jackass to others when he wants to), but develops more as a person depending on the dialogue the player chooses. Not to mention, he has a dry sense of humor.
    • His characterization as Minato Arisato in the P3 manga may be brooding, but does not shy away from being a goofy and down to earth person like Ren/Joker.
    • In the Persona 3 films, Makoto is known to be much darker, sadder, and edgier compared to his personality from the video games and the manga. Unlike in the games, he suffers from PTSD, for 10 years, he chose to isolate himself and prevents making new friends and connections so he wouldn't have to experience losing loved ones again after the loss of his parents. Not to mention, his responses towards others are really cold.
      • His line in experiencing The Dark Hour for the first time with someone else: "I don't really care. Is dying really that scary to you?" goes to show how Makoto is calmly, but severely suicidal, and does not seem to be interested in living nor cares about being forgotten. Especially in the Falling Down movie, he hugs Aigis and admits he didn't want to do anything with S.E.E.S. anymore after witnessing the deaths of Shinjiro Aragaki and Mitsuru Kirijo's father.
      • Makoto laughing after falling alongside Aigis, Ryoji and Junpei was the first time and only time he's ever had this much fun and joy with others. And Aigis expressed concern towards him.
      • Right after being told by Ryoji and Ikutsuki that the world is going to end now that the 12 Arcanas (which are meant to prevent Nyx from arriving) are dead, Makoto wandered aimlessly into a building that is still construction, went back to believing that his life is now meaningless, and the efforts of trying to erase the Dark Hour has all been for nothing, realized that nothing will change even if he kills Ryoji, to which doing so only delays the inevitable, and will still end the world.
      • But Makoto had a vision of his late mother, hearing her last words: "Live." is what he remembered. Meaning he is still alive to do what needed to be done by deciding that either he dies, or everybody dies.
      • When Aigis broke down in regret and was prepared to shoot herself, Makoto calms and comforts her, saying that Aigis was just doing her job, and had not been for her or Ryoji, Makoto wouldn't be having friends in the first place, and found his one and only reason of living.
      • When his friends were being consumed by the Shadows, Makoto uses Orpheus and Thanatos to create Messiah, and his own life to become a seal to save his friends and humanity.
      • Right after his death, he split his own soul in two, one to Aigis, which she inherited Orpheus and caused her to be more human, and to Elizabeth, which she obtained Thanatos.

Kotone Shiomi

1. His female counterpart, Kotone (referred to as Minako "Hamuko Yūki" Arisato by fans, sometimes FeMC or "Phem See"), can act the opposite. In contrast of Makoto's emo personality, she is very bubbly, funny, upbeat and cheerful. Her dialogue choices exhibit a broad spectrum of emotions, ranging from sarcasm, joking tones, utter seriousness in Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth.
   • Kotone also has a sadistic side from time to time, like Haru Okumura, and Goro Akechi.
   • She seems to be giggling in joy after knocking out the security guard, all the while scaring the Phantom Thieves.
   • She was willing to show no mercy in killing Takaya after defeating him to avenge Shinji's death.
2. "I'll sell you one for 1000 yen."

Bad Qualities

1. Similar to Ren from Persona 5 and Yu from Persona 4, he/she doesn't speak very often, this is a common thing in RPG games.
2. Although being emo isn't a bad thing, but when Makoto first transferred to Gekkoukan High's dormitory, he looked uninterested when the civilians turned into coffins or everything around him turned green. He just walks in the dorm like it's a normal thing.
3. Him surviving at the end of the Persona 3 manga not only confusing that Minato stood up as he was physically healthy (forgetting that his health was rapidly declining after using his entire life force to seal Nyx), but ruins the ending and message of the game/movie series.
4. Makoto's sacrifice caused hiccups in the aftermath:
   • In the following events of The Answer, S.E.E.S. had a falling out of whether bringing back the late Makoto being a good thing, otherwise, humanity would end. Thanks to their dread, fears and regret, a shadow that takes the form of Makoto opposes them. Later on, the more they debate on whether saving to save Makoto or not, disagreements caused some (except Aigis, Metis and Fuuka) of them to turn on each other. They did make up in the end fortunately after finding out the reason for Makoto's sacrifice and went to prevent Erebus from destroying the Seal.
   • In the following events of Persona 5 and Persona 5: Royal's Third Semester, the Palace rulers (Shido, Kamoshida, etc.) would become slaves to the Holy Grail after their cognition are changed after getting their hearts changed by the Phantom Thieves, making it similar to how the Apathy Syndrome works except prisoners of their own desires than desires of death, to which, made it look like the Syndrome is still at large even without the Dark Hour's involvement. So in other words, Makoto's sacrifice in preventing the Apocalypse wasn't enough to have the world cleansed, and proves Takaya's, Ikutsuki's, Ryoji's/Nyx's, and even Takuto Maruki's points right even more.

Kotone Shiomi

1. She's considered to be one of the franchise's obscure characters.
   • It's a missed opportunity for her to not be included in Persona 3 Reload.
   • She, alongside the Boy with Earring (also known as Naoya Toudou in the manga) from Revelations: Persona, never had an official name, and her name as "Kotone Shiomi" wasn't a canon name. That is until her fixed name as Kotone in the PS4/PS5/XBOX/Nintendo Switch ports of Persona 3 Portable, thus making it canon, while the latter remained nameless for 30 years.

Trivia

• Makoto appears as an optional boss in Persona 5: Royal, and the last time Yuri Lowenthal voiced the character.
• He is mostly right handed, but in the Persona 3 movies, he also uses his left hand to summon Personas, so therefore, Makoto is ambidextrous, like Goro Akechi.
  • Speaking of Goro Akechi, both have personal belongings that are currently with the protagonist (Makoto's evoker currently with Aigis, and Akechi's left glove currently with Ren).
• He/Kotone, Aigis, Yu, Ren, Akechi, Elizabeth, and Sho Minazuki are the current known Wild Card Persona users.
• His death at the end of the game is foreshadowed with the "memento mori: remember that you are mortal, remember you will die" message in the intro.
• Makoto never speaks for the most part, only occasionally mentioning the name of the equipped Persona when gearing up for a powerful attack. Arming him with a bow will have him shouting "Come forth!" or "Persona!" when summoning. Even though this variation does not occur in the JP version, equipping him with other weapon types will make him intone differently.
• He is talented at making fox sounds.
• Despite joining art class, his art skills are questionable.
• During the credits roll, for both The Journey and The Answer, Messiah appears behind Makoto silhouette, indicating Messiah is his ultimate Persona. His actions in the game seem to support this, as he sacrifices his life to save humanity from itself. Furthermore, he appears crucified on the Great Seal, alluding to Jesus of Nazareth, the Christian messiah, who died via crucifixion for a similar purpose.
• He is the only character, other than his female counterpart, known to use the "The Universe Arcana."
• When he hears "Jika Net Tanaka," he describes it as an annoying song unlike Yu Narukami of Persona 4 who describes it as a cheery song. This implies that, despite the player's choices, he and Yu have some semblance of a predetermined personality.
• The way the shadow version of him was formed by the regret of SEES members alludes to the Metal Trio from Persona 2: Eternal Punishment manifested in Torifune out of Tatsuya Suou's guilt for breaking the promise with his former friends. While The Metal Trio in P2EP uses the golden version of their own ultimate Personas, the shadow protagonist in P3FES uses the golden version of the S.E.E.S. members' ultimate personas.
• Makoto likely symbolizes the Jesus of Nazareth, as he only has a limited amount of time to live before he becomes crucified on the Great Seal to save all life and humanity from death.
• In Persona 4 Arena, an additional color for Yu Narukami and his Persona mimics the colors of the protagonist and his Persona.
• In Persona Q, should the players choose Persona 4 at the start of the game, before he introduces himself he is referred to as "A Boy with Earphones." In addition, in his Japanese gameplay trailer, his name is written as "Minato Arisato" (likely since the manga was out a while before the movie series so it is his more popular name), while in English gameplay trailer his name is still written as "P3 Hero."
• Makoto is one of only two characters in the Persona series to change ultimate Personas between two separate appearances without it being some sort of upgrade, the other being Eriko Kirishima. In Persona Q, he uses Messiah as his ultimate Persona, while in Persona Q2 he uses Orpheus Telos as his ultimate Persona and Messiah is assigned to his female counterpart.
• Makoto shares the English voice actor as Pharos/Ryoji Mochizuki/Nyx Avatar from the same game, Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto, Dainsleif from Genshin Impact, Ben Tennyson from Ben 10: Alien Force/Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Peter Parker/Spider-Man from the PlayStation 4 game with the same name, Suzaku Kururugi from Code Geass, Yosuke Hanamura from Persona 4, and Adam/He-Man from the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 2021 reboot.
  • Kotone shares the same voices as Armin Arlert from Attack on Titan, Tohka Yatogami from Date A Live, and Yoko Littener from Gurran Lagann in Japanese. She also shares the same voices as Rise Fujiwara from Persona 4, Nadine Ross from the Uncharted series, Chun-Li from Street Fighter, Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket, and Abby from The Last of Us Part II.
• Makoto's new English voice Aleks Le, shares the same voice as Zenitsu Agatsuma from Demon Slayer, and Nightmarionne from Five Nights at Freddy's: Ultimate Custom Night.

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