One SEES Member in Persona 3 Reload Needs a Far Greater…

Summary

Persona 3 Reload aims to expand and update the original game with new content, improved mechanics, and overhauled visuals while staying faithful to the original release.
SEES' mascot Koromaru deserves more character development, as he is often overlooked compared to other animal mascots in the Persona series.
Persona 3 Reload should take advantage of additional side stories and activities to further explore Koromaru's story and potentially draw parallels to the famous dog Hachiko.

Persona 3 Reload looks to expand upon the original Persona 3 and bring it in line with modern Persona games like Persona 5. To this end, Atlus is clearly going beyond what the original game included and adding new content like fully-voiced Social Links, improved combat mechanics, and overhauled visuals while still remaining faithful to the original release. As a part of this effort to further flesh out the experience, Persona 3 Reload will include new character side stories and dorm activities to help players grow closer to the game's characters, but one often overlooked member of SEES also deserves this same attention.

Atlus has been putting a spotlight on each of the playable members of SEES leading up to the release of Persona 3 Reload, releasing a special trailer for each one. The original Persona 3 gave most of these characters their own in-game story arcs for players to get to know them better, and it seems like these will be expanded in Persona 3 Reload. However, SEES' canine mascot Koromaru gets somewhat overlooked in the original release, so Persona 3 Reload needs to make sure he gets the character development he deserves.

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By Drew Swanson

Persona 3 Reload Needs to Give Koromaru a More Complete Story

Koromaru is a dog who joins SEES after defeating a rogue Shadow that attacked his master's shrine. Players learn that Koromaru was once the dog of a monk who tended this shrine, but when the monk passed away, Koromaru continued to wait at the shrine and guard it until his master returned. It's clear that this incident unlocked Koromaru's potential to summon a Persona, and after he is injured in the fight against the shadow, SEES takes him in and develops a special Evoker for him so that Koromaru can aid in their infiltration of Tartarus.

The Persona series tends to feature one playable character who acts as an animal mascot for the game, such as Persona 4's Teddie and Persona 5's Morgana. However, despite filling this role in Persona 3, Koromaru never ends up getting the same level of character development as his counterparts from other entries in the series. Now that Persona 3 Reload is set to add new content like additional side stories and dorm activities, the game needs to take advantage of these features to further flesh out Koromaru's story.

How Persona 3 Reload Could Improve Koromaru's Story Role

There are some clear parallels between Koromaru's story and the famous story of the dog Hachiko, who was said to have waited by the train station every day for his owner to return from work, even after the owner tragically passed away. There is now a statue dedicated to this loyal dog at Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, making Hachiko a well-known figure in Japanese culture. Persona 3 Reload could lean into the connections between Koromaru and Hachiko, further exploring the relationship with his owner, perhaps even tying it to why he can use a Persona and how he was able to single-handedly defeat a Shadow that attacked his master's shrine.

From Koromaru's introduction trailer for Persona 3 Reload, it appears there will be more opportunities for players to deepen their bond with this canine, potentially giving him greater character development as well. In past releases of Persona 3, players can take him for walks in the evening in Persona 3 FES, and Persona 3 Portable features him as the Strength Social Link for the female protagonist. His introduction trailer shows him spending time with the protagonist doing different activities, like playing shogi or sharing his food with another dog, which is a good sign that Atlus will give him some well-deserved attention.

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JRPG

RPG

Life Simulation

Strategy

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 94%

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Released: February 2, 2024
ESRB: Mature 17 / Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
Developer(s): P-Studio
Publisher(s): Atlus, Sega