Sogabe Shuji & Atlus | Persona 3

Japanese: ペルソナ3
English: Persona 3
Synonyms: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, P3
Type: Manga
Volumes: 9 +
Chapters: 38 +
Status: Publishing
Published: Apr 2007 to ?
Genres: Action, Drama, Horror, Supernatural, Seinen
Authors: Sogabe Shuji (Story & Art), Atlus (Story)
Serialization: Dengeki Maoh

Synopsis: A teenager who was orphaned as a young boy returns to the city of his childhood. Shortly after transferring to Gekkoukan High School, he is attacked by Shadows — creatures that feed on the minds of their victims. The assault awakens his Persona, Orpheus, his only chance at defeating these creatures of the night. He soon discovers that he shares this special ability with other students at his new school. From them he learns of the "Dark Hour," a hidden time that exists between one day and the next, swarming with Shadows. He joins the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES), and with his new friends, confronts the threat of the Shadows.

After signing a contract in which he "accepts his fate of his own free will," the main character battles with the other members of SEES against the Greater Shadows, incarnations with traits and appearances similar to those of the first 12 Major Arcana of the Tarot. While this is occurring, he continues to encounter and eventually befriends the child who gave him the contract to sign at the very beginning of the game, an entity who refers to himself as Pharos, and is really the incarnation of Death, the 13th Arcana.

Related Manga

Alternative setting: Persona 4

Other:

• Megami Ibunroku: Persona, 
• Persona: Tsumi to Batsu, 
• Persona 3 Comic Anthology - Memento Mori, 
• Persona 3 Portable Dengeki Comic Anthology, 
• Tartaros Gekijou

Spin-off: 

• Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth - Side:P3

Adaptation:

• Persona 3 the Movie 1: Spring of Birth

Groups Scanlating
Gekkoukan High Scans
Noizy Scanlations
Red Hawk Scanlations
StarryHeaven
Under Saffire Sky
White Flower Translations

Licensed in English
Udon Entertainment (September 2016) 

Source: MAL Manga info

Side notes: I've not read this manga before so my know how is based mainly on the  anime movie.^-^ Also the translation by the scanlator groups seem to have been stalled about two years ago probably due the licensing of the manga. So not everything is covered by them and it may take some time before the Udon Entertainment can reach to the new chapters of translation released. And that all spells out... waiting for new chapters to be translated. Well there is always the games, nee. Although I've not played any of them.XDDD

P.S. I do find it really odd way to wake up one's persona though... hope no-one is not crazy enough to think that that something real. o.o Oh and about character descriptions I left spoiler out this time.

Main characters

Makoto Yuuki (有里 湊 / 結城 理)

Age: 16-17

Date of Birth: Unknown, 1992

Height: 170 cm (5'7")

Blood type: O

Initial Persona: Orpheus

Ultimate Persona: Messiah

Weapons: multiple Weapons, one-Handed Swords

Arcana: Fool, Death, Judgement, Universe

Makoto Yuuki 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. He moves into the dorm in the introduction of the story, learning of his ability to summon a Persona 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. 

Makoto is unique among his cohorts in that he has the ability to carry multiple Personas and switch between them during battle. He is also the only character with access to the Velvet Room. 

The initial Persona of Makoto is Orpheus, although through Persona fusion and other means he has access to over 170 different Personas.

Yukari Takeba (岳羽 ゆかり)

Age: 16

Date of Birth: October 19th

Horoscope: Libra

Height: 159 cm

Blood Type: B

Yukari Takeba is a classmate of the Main Character. Since she is a member of the school's Archery Club, Yukari naturally wields a bow and arrow in battle. Her zeal for investigation brings SEES a lot of trouble, but also gains the group valuable allies and information. She has a high aptitude for magic and her Personas that excel in wind and healing spells.

Yukari is very popular at school because of her good looks, cheerful disposition, and energetic attitude. But there's is more to Yukari than meets the eye. Though she's outwardly extraverted, she is very careful not to let anyone get close to her. She constantly picks on Junpei, hides her true motives from the group, and represses a lot of anger and pain about her past. At the beginning of the game she has trouble summoning her Persona and becomes distressed when holding an evoker gun to her head.

Yukari is one of the girls that Main Character has the option of dating over the course of the game. Since Yukari is very popular, he must maximize his charm statistic in order to ask her out. If the Main Character makes the correct choices, Yukari will fall in love with him, and he will help her mend her relationship with her mother.

Aegis (アイギス)
Date of Manufacture: September 10th, 1999
Height: 162 cm (5'3")
Initial Persona: Palladion
Ultimate Persona: Pallas Athena
Voice Actor : Sakamoto Maaya (CD Drama)

Aegis is an android created by the Kirijo Group; she is the last surviving model of their experimental anti-Shadow weapon. In combat, she uses a wide variety of high-tech weapons, from machine guns and rocket launchers to long range guns and “rocket punches.” Aegis has the highest durability of any of the characters, and her Personas focus on physical attacks.


Aegis is introduced during SEES' summer beach vacation, where she is simultaneously the target of Mitsuru's retrieval mission and Junpei's "Operation Babe Hunt." She immediately shows an instinctual interest in protecting the Main Character which even she cannot explain. Ikutsuki has her assigned to aid SEES, and she enrolls in Gekkoukan High to act as the Main Character's bodyguard.

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Mitsuru Kirijou (桐条 美鶴)
Age: 17 (18)
Date of Birth: May 8th, 1991
Zodiac: Taurus
Height: 166 cm (5'4")
Blood Type: O
Initial Persona: Penthesilea
Ultimate Persona: Artemisia
Weapons: Rapier

Mitsuru is the only child of the current head of the Kirijo Group, Takeharu Kirijo. She is also the school’s top ranking valedictorian and student council president. In battle she wields one-handed swords such as rapiers and sabers. Her Personas excel at ice spells, and she is the most powerful offensive magic caster aside from the Main Character.

Mitsuru has been battling Shadows for a long time. Upon discovering of the Main Character’s potential as a Persona-user, she, along with Ikutsuki, invites him into SEES. At the beginning of the game she stays behind as a Support character, offering analysis and advice. She joins the party in battle only after the discovery of Fuuka Yamagishi, whose analysis power is much stronger than Mitsuru's.

Mitsuru is one of the girls that Main Character can date over the course of the game. In order to attract such an ambitious young woman he must maximize his intellect statistic, and rank first in his class for at least one exam. If the player makes the correct choices, Mitsuru will fall in love with the Main Character, and the Main Character will help free her from some of the expectations attached to her family name.


While Mitsuru herself has not made any sort of appearance in the anime sequel, Persona -trinity soul-, a young girl bearing an uncanny resemblance to her is shown in the first episode bringing one of her fingers up much like the Main Character did near the end of the game.

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Akihiko Sanada (真田 明彦)

Age: 17(18)

Date of Birth: September 22nd, 1991

Zodiac: Virgo

Height: 175.5 cm (5'8.5")

Blood Type: A

Initial Persona: Polydeuces

Ultimate Persona: Caesar

Weapons: Gloves & Knuckles

Akihiko is the mature and confident captain of his school’s boxing team, as well as a senior at Gekkoukan High. He is a hard worker who balances a high GPA with near-constant training. Since Akihiko is a boxer, he uses gloves and claws in battle. His Personas can be used to cast lightning magic and debuff spells. He cannot fight for the first part of the game because of injuries. Akihiko was one of the three Persona users who originally founded SEES, alongside Mitsuru and Shinjiro. 

The twenty-eight-year-old Akihiko appears in Persona 3's anime sequel, Persona - trinity soul -, as a contact of one of the main characters, a police chief.

He is seen talking with Ryō on the phone in the beginning of the series. He knows about the Persona and Reverse cases as they are usually the conversation topic. He is currently working with the police force after prior events 10 years ago from Persona 3. He was one of the main character's companions in Persona 3. As of episode 14, Akihiko has officially entered the universe of Persona: Trinity Soul, seen entering the elevator of the police station behind Shin and then later talking with Inui as a member of Marebito loses control of his persona in the city square.

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Junpei Iori (伊織 順平)
Age: 16-17
Date of Birth: January 16th, 1993
Zodiac: Capricorn
Height: 170.5 cm (5'7.5")
Blood Type: B
Initial Persona: Hermes
Ultimate Persona: Trismegistus
Weapons: Two-Handed Sword
Voice Actor : Toriumi Kousuke (CD Drama)

Junpei Iori is the Main Character's best friend, though the two often find themselves at odds. He plays the class clown in order to mask his insecurities. Junpei's chosen weapon is two-handed sword which he wields like a baseball bat. His Personas excel at physical attacks and party buffs, and can also cast weak fire magic.


Junpei joins SEES near the beginning of the game. He was found crying in a convenience store during the Dark Hour, and did not realize that he had the potential to call a Persona until Akihiko told him about it. His decision to join SEES was a swift one, and he immediately moved into their dorm, to Yukari’s dismay.

In Persona 3: FES, it is revealed that he once met Koromaru when he had run away from home -- specifically, his alcoholic father.

megamitensei.wikia

Ken Amada (天田 乾)


Ken Amada is the youngest human member of SEES, and one of the two who don't attend Gekkoukan High School. He is mature, but sometimes he is too precocious for his own good. He uses long spears to make up for his short stature. His Personas can be used for healing, and to cast light-based spells that occasionally instantly kill the enemy. Ken is invited by Ikutsuki to live in the SEES dorm because he is an orphan with no home to return to. He is revealed to have the potential to wield Persona and is asked to join the organization. 

Koromaru (コロマル)
Koromaru's master was killed in an incident involving Shadows. He became a stray, and was watched over by Fuuka and Yukari. Instead of attacking with his fangs or claws, Koromaru wields daggers in his mouth. His Personas can be used to cast fire spells, as well as darkness-based spells that occasionally instantly kill the enemy. He has a speed advantage over the other characters.

Koromaru remains faithful to his master even after his death, retracing the path of their old walks and revisiting the place where he was slain. One day when Akihiko is hunting Shadows, he comes across the canine, who is gravely injured. The Shadows surrounding him are dead. Once Koromaru is healed, Ikutsuki reveals that he too has the potential to summon a Persona. Mitsuru gives him a special collar-like Evoker and he is inducted into SEES.


Aigis claims to be able to translate Koromaru's barking and body language into human speech.

Supporting

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Shinjirou Aragaki (荒垣 真次郎)
Shinjiro is Akihiko’s good friend, as well as a Senior in Gekkoukan High School. In battle, Shinjiro wields a hefty axe and relies on his brute strength. His Persona uses physical attacks.


Tough-talking, foul-mouthed Shinjiro was one of the original Persona users who made up SEES, alongside Akihiko and Mitsuru. 

Elizabeth (エリザベス)

Elizabeth resides in the Velvet Room with Igor. While Igor takes care of Persona Fusions, Elizabeth watches over the Persona Compendium and gives the Main Character bounties to complete with rewards in return. If the player chooses to start the second playthrough, a new request will open which asks you to defeat her, the ultimate opponent. If the player chooses to accept the request, she reveals herself to be a Persona-user just like the Main Character, also capable of switching between multiple Personae mid-battle. She can be considered the "ultimate opponent" seeing as she is much stronger than "Nyx Avatar" and the fabled "Reaper". She can also be dated in the Persona 3: FES expansion, although she is not a Social Link. If the player chooses to complete her dating requests, Elizabeth gradually shows feelings for the Main Character throughout the scenes.

Igor (イゴール)

A mysterious, long-nosed gentleman who resides in the Velvet Room. As in the other Persona games, Igor's purpose is to assist the player in acquiring new powers and Persona. At the end of the game, because the Main Character has fulfilled his contract, Igor uses the power of the Main Character's social links to forge a Persona of the World Arcana with the power to change reality. Igor states that he had never thought to see such power during his lifetime. He also makes an appearance in the anime sequel, Persona -trinity soul-, meeting with the protagonist Shin Kanzato as a fortune teller. He tells Shin that they have met before in the Velvet Room.

megamitensei.wikia.

Shuuji Ikutsuki (幾月 修司)

Initially, Ikutsuki appears as the cheerful advisor, chairman, and "boss" of SEES, always trying to keep the group in high spirits while discovering secrets about the Shadows.

Takeharu Kirijo (桐条 武治)

Takeharu Kirijo is Mitsuru's father and the president of the Kirijo Group. He is the son of Kouetsu Kirijo, the corporation's former president, who began a series of experiments on Shadows seeking to harness their power. He rejects the ideology of his father, who believed death was a form of deliverance. Shuji Ikutsuki murders Takeharu on the roof of Tartarus, saying he did not understand his father's vision.

Metis (メティス,)

A second android who claims to be Aigis' "sister." Metis is a playable character in the Episode Aegis portion of Persona 3: FES, joining Aigis on the team when Aigis inherits the Main Character's Persona and powers. Metis is the manifestation of Aegis' wish to stay as a machine rather than become a real human and mourn for the Main Character. This also includes her strong feelings toward the Main Character.

Ryouji Mochizuki (望月綾時)

Originally, Ryoji shows up as a new transfer student, and becomes fast friends with Junpei and the rest of the group. His cheerful and reckless dating attitude is also subject of much talk, even going as far as asking Yukari as well as Mitsuru on a date upon first sight. Aigis remained extremely cautious of him, however, constantly referring to him as "dangerous." 

His true identity is "Nyx Avatar" as well as the Appraiser and harbinger of "Death" and Nyx. He is also the older version of Pharos.

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Natsuki Moriyama (森山夏紀)

Fuuka's closest friend, and emotional support throughout the game. 

A Ganguro, she has an extremely tanned complexion, and orange-ish hair, similar in the style of most ganguro, or gyaru. She's shown to have a rather sadistic side, and has a knack for anyalzing people, and knowing exactly what to say to make them feel worthless. 

Fuuka, at first, was her target, because of Natsuki's own insecurities. She was drawn in by Fuuka's calls for help, and went into the Tartarus. Fuuka saved her from a Shadow by summoning her Persona, which encased them in a protective shell inside of her. 

After the ordeal, Natsuki lost her memory of the event, but apologized to Fuuka. The two quickly became best friends, and Natsuki's attitude proved a positive influence on Fuuka, making her a more confident girl. 

Natsuki's father became ill, and her family didn't have enough money, so they were forced to move. Natsuki then revealed that she and Fuuka were more similar than they thought, because Natsuki's parents both didn't pay much attention to her, claiming that they acted like she didn't even exist. 

She provided Fuuka with the resolve to earn her more powerful persona, sending a text message to Fuuka saying that "No matter how far apart we may be, we will always be connected", which gave Fuuka her resolve. She also provided Fuuka another set of advice, claiming that "If they don't accept you for who you are, then screw 'em." 

Throughout the game, Natsuki is the closest person to Fuuka, despite their differences. Natsuki also claimed that "I like you, even if you don't like yourself."

Pharos (ファルロス)

A mysterious young boy who the main character sees in his dreams from time to time. The boy speaks of "The Fall" and the end, but his memories seem to be fragmented. He feels a strong bond of friendship with the Main Character.

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Takaya Sakaki (榊貴隆也 / タカヤ)

Takaya is the confident and charismatic young leader of Strega. He functions as the Main Character's foil, leading the rival group of Persona-users and setting himself up as a false messiah. In battle, Takaya uses a six-shot revolver to strike down his opponents. Aside from Aigis, he is the only Persona-user in the game who does not use an Evoker to manifest his Persona, instead summoning it "manually" by clutching his head and falling to his knees. Persona-users in previous games also did not use Evokers, but summoning their Personas never appeared to cause them any pain.

Since Takaya doesn't have long to live, he lives fully for the moment, heedless of the harm he causes others. His dearest wish is to see the world end along with his own life. Though he does have some care for Jin and Chidori, he has no qualms about using either of them as tools. At first, he tries to prevent SEES from killing the twelve Arcana Shadows, as if he is trying to save the world in his own way, but he embraces death once he realizes their true purpose. Near the end of the game he creates a cult centered around the coming of Nyx, with himself as the high priest.

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Jin Shirato (白戸陣 / ジン)

Jin is Takaya's faithful right-hand man, acting as his tactical adviser and the webmaster of "Revenge Request." He uses grenades and bombs in battle and is also a skilled computer hacker.

Jin appears very eager to be rid of SEES, since he believes that they are hypocrites who don't appreciate their own power. However, he is rational enough to limit Takaya's actions when necessary. Whenever Takaya takes a reckless approach, Jin is there to hold him back and remind him of what they are truly there for.

Jin is a zealot with strong belief in Takaya's goals. He is fiercely loyal to Takaya for "showing him out of darkness" and helping him through the Kirijo Group's experiments. In spite of this, he often inadvertently helps SEES by revealing important information. It is Jin who informs the Main Character about the truth behind Strega, their involvement in the coming of Nyx, and Shuji Ikutuski's real allegiance.

At the end of the game, Jin sacrifices himself to buy S.E.E.S time by setting off a grenade that holds back a horde of Shadows in Tartarus.

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Eiichiro Takeba (岳羽 詠一郎)

Eiichiro Takeba is Yukari's father and one of the scientists working for the Kirijo Group during the Shadow Incident in 1999. The corporation blamed the accident on him even though he was trying to blow the whistle on their dangerous and unethical experiments. Eiichiro died while making a video for Yukari, which Ikutsuki later altered to manipulate SEES.

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Isako Toriumi (鳥海 伊佐子)

Ms. Toriumi is the home room teacher of Class 2-F in Persona 3. She is a language teacher for the junior class at Gekkoukan High School. Ms. Toriumi is an avid player of an old MMORPG known as Innocent Sin Online. The protagonist can form a Social Link with her after he receives a copy of the game from Junpei Iori. Toriumi, using the handle Maya (a reference to Maya Amano), convinces the protagonist to use the handle Tatsuya (A reference to Tatsuya Suou). "Maya" and "Tatsuya" talk through Toriumi's grievances at work, and she eventually develops a crush on the protagonist. When Innocent Sin Online administration announces that the servers will all be shut down, she plans on sending her and the protagonist's chat logs to them in order to prevent them shutting down the game.

Ms. Toriumi is a laid-back teacher who is often at odds with Mr. Ekoda. She is extremely fond of cake and she at one point tells a student that they need to bake her a cake to turn in with one of their assignments. Other teachers at Gekkoukan have mentioned they would bring her cake whenever they needed to talk with her so she'd be in a good mood. Although she loves nearly all cakes, she doesn't like Mont Blanc.

Ms. Toriumi and Mrs. Terauchi occasionally play Mahjong together after work. Terauchi is only a novice at the game and Toriumi is teaching her Mahjong terminology, something which Terauchi is very excited about. However, from her descriptions of the games, it seems Toriumi is taking advantage of her inexperience and cheating to win. Supposedly, Toriumi has never lost a match.

At the epilogue of the Social Link, the Protagonist can go into the Facility Office to find Ms. Toriumi. The Protagonist would drop his cell phone, which now has the background of Maya's message in the sand to Tatsuya. Ms. Toriumi picks it up, and sees the picture, pretty much shocked. However, even through her age, Ms. Toriumi finds it within herself to accept the Main Character as the person she loves, and tries to ask him for a dinner. However, she still storms out of the office, angry.

Her arcana is the Hermit.

Fuuka Yamagishi (山岸 風花)

Fuuka is a shy junior who is known for being sickly. Unlike the other members of SEES, she does not have any fighting abilities, nor do her Personas. Instead she takes Mitsuru's place as the team's tactical support. Fuuka's role is to forecast where upcoming bosses can be found, analyze the weaknesses of various enemies, and provide commentary on the battles. She also provides information on the medical status of the team.

A few months into the school year, Fuuka goes missing for several days. Yukari, Junpei, and the Main Character decide to investigate after strange things start happening to girls who once bullied Fuuka. It turns out that the girls locked Fuuka up in the school gymnasium, where she accidentally became trapped in Tartarus. SEES takes part in a dangerous mission to rescue her.

In Tartarus, Fuuka is awakened to the reality of her Persona power. At the same time, Natsuki, one of the girls who bullied Fuuka, wanders into the school to see if Fuuka is alright. Fuuka who ends up saving Natsuki in spite of all that Natsuki did to her, and they both become fast friends afterwards even though Natsuki has no memory of the incident. Under Natsuki and SEES' influence, Fuuka changes from a shy and isolated girl into a strong-willed, compassionate young woman. Both her Persona and her hacking skills manifest her desire to always be connected to her friends.

Fuuka is one of the girls that the Main Character can date over the course of the game. Since dating Fuuka involves tasting her horrible cooking, Main Character must maximize his courage statistic before he can ask her out. If the Main Character makes the correct choices, Fuuka will fall in love with him, and he can help her to become more comfortable with being an "unfeminine" computer geek.

Chidori Yoshino (吉野千鳥 / チドリ)

Chidori is the third member of Strega, and is known for her gothic lolita dress style, self-harming tendencies, and artistic ability. In battle she utilizes a red chained hand-axe. She is Fuuka's counterpart on the Strega team, and uses Medea's ability to radiate energy to keep Strega from being detected by Fuuka's Personas. Like Takaya, she shows unusual Persona abilities, such as being able to heal people and manifest Medea outside of the Dark Hour.

Chidori and Junpei meet by chance at Port Island Station. While she is initially very unpleasant to Junpei because he keeps interrupting her sketching, she eventually opens up to him due to his kindness and persistence. At the same time, Junpei tells her everything about SEES without knowing that she is a member of Strega. Chidori is led to believe that Junpei is SEES' leader.

During a full moon, Chidori kidnaps Junpei, thinking that he has the authority to call off SEES' mission to kill the Arcana Shadows. When plan fails she is wounded, and ends up imprisoned in a Kirijo-controlled hospital. Mitsuru and Akihiko try to interrogate her, but meet with little success.

Junpei continues to visit Chidori in the hospital, and the two become closer. He is very concerned about her capacity for self-harm. However, after faking his death, Takaya returns to remind her where she truly belongs. Chidori is broken out of the hospital and rejoins Strega. However, her loyalties begin to falter when she is forced to fight Junpei, and when he is wounded by Takaya, she comes to terms with her love for him. She sacrifices her life to save his through the use of her Persona, and ends up giving Junpei some of her Persona's regenerative power, namely the passive skill Spring of Life which restores HP every turn. After her death Junpei inherits her sketch-book, which turns out of have been full of pictures of him.

In the Persona 3: FES expansion, it is possible for the player to revive Chidori later in the game if certain requirements are met.

Source: MAL (more arcana holders can be found from MAL and wikia)

Takaya's final defeat occurs when he tries to forcibly stop SEES from climbing Tartarus and facing Nyx. Afterwards he crawls to the top of the tower to witness the final battle. It is unknown whether he survived after the Main Character sealed Nyx away; if he did, it is likely that he does not have long to live, since he still needs to take the lethal suppressant drugs.