Persona 3 The Answer Review - Ruining Something Great

Welcome to my Persona 3 The Answer Review. In this Persona 3 The Answer Review. I will analyze how it's Ruining Something Great about Persona 3 why Persona 3 The Answer is the way it is. This is a follow-up video to Persona 3 Almost Great, so watch that before you continue on.
You can find more of my videos here: • Nam's Compendium's Vid...
I think we’re all in agreement that Persona 3 is a pretty good game. I may have some problems with it, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t think the game is good. It’s got a unique setting, cool mechanics, and themes that will stick with you for a long time. Something that I think is perfect however is the game’s ending. It’s a bittersweet scene that reinforces the game’s overall message.

[@NamsCompendium]

This video is outdated and doesn't reflect my current thoughts on The Answer. I'm not gonna stop anyone from watching it but I recomend you watch my newer video on the topic if you want a more up to date opinion.

[@TheElementsAreWithMe]

Well if it displeased you that much then think about it like this. Maybe not all of humanity has gain that will to live, maybe it will never happen, and even if they did, do you honestly believe they are gonna bring him back to the way he was before sealing the door or God forbid aged up so it feels like he lives the rest of his revived life with his friends? Personally, I feel he should come back because if he's anything like the protagonists after him, he's a good kid with a good heart, and deserves a better hand than he was previously dealt, but I get what you mean about diminishing the point of the story. So I say let his buddies try to make the world a better place because there is no guarantee they can pull of his rescue in their lifetimes.

[@Kaisona2017]

Sounds like I wouldn’t like this mode if I played it. I don’t like Mementos at the end of Persona 5, because you’re no longer allowed to do the slice of life aspect. Since there’s no slice of life in this mode, I think I’ll hate it if I ever play it.

[@PathBeyondTheDark]

In a way the revelation of Minato's ultimate fate is even more sad then the ending to The Journey would imply. It implies he passed on peacefully, that he is most likely at rest after willing himself to see himself through the graduation for SEES sake. We find out that is not the case, that he is instead living in a hellish limbo and, even if not conscious, he has still yet to find peace. So if anything, my perception is it ruins The Journey's ending by making it completely bleak rather then the bittersweet it was meant to be. Finding a way to free Minato, as long as only to pass on to the afterlife, is the one way they would be able to rectify this. But yes indeed a full ressurection is the worst outcome of this they could go for.

[@selzyr3796]

ya know...I love your videos and I played the game quite some time ago, but I think(even if they strongly imply on the EN version) that "the answer" could be open to interpretation(yes, I'm with you on the strong implications they can "bring him back." and find it stupid.) Minato=/=Yuuki, even if "free" from the seal wont have a body anymore, the most they can is save his soul and let him move on properly I'd say, and if that's the case, on my point of view, its just fine. Atlus doesn't need to "save" or "bring back to life" a well done protagonist.

[@noahbradford5342]

The answer will talk you stuff and get you some questions along the way.

[@Mrplaguedoctor123]

He had to come back to life for dancing

[@sahisiva9904]

Lol apparently it took place before he died but... It’s funnier to think he comes back from the seal and everyone just brushes him off like ‘yup, he’s back. Just another day’

[@NamsCompendium]

@@sahisiva9904 "where've you been?"

[@sahisiva9904]

Nam12399 “let’s not talk about that, kay...?” He just doesn’t want SEES to be jealous since he became the all powerful door. First hand experience from Junpei lol

[@Jv0121B]

DOOR-KUN

[@alberthcuayla1587]

He danced on the rooftop, like dacing on his grave.

[@ec2552]

p3: we need to *change the heart* of society p5: hoo boy

[@idk-ov9oh]

"A tartarus that you go down instead of up"

[@dubemudeze8156]

@@Crow_Calypso there is no Persona 6, what are you talking about?

[@Chaosflower]

@@dubemudeze8156 well I’m from the future and yeah nothing has happened

[@dcaneil9565]

A crossover could technically be made where the phantom thieves save Minato. Because technically they would be the only ones who could

[@genesisspace5331]

@@ChaosflowerI’m from the future persona 6 is named carbon

[@gabyroman2441]

Honestly i like the idea that the protagonist CAN come back, but he won't because it is on humanity and out of the control of the characters. IMO it makes it sadder knowing that the option is there but it won't happen and there is nothing the characters can really do about it.

[@vivi-wr8nm]

@glitchy TMH17 when you think about it, there was absolutely a Minato walking around for the whole time maruki had a palace, theres 0 chance there wasnt maruki didnt just make it possible but bc SEES never got over him really, he would have returned like akechi

[@woodmansmusicchannel9158]

Yeah but that's not what Atlus was going for in the ending. Even in Persona 4 they allude to the fact that he'll come back. But they must have changed their mind or something since nothing has come out of that plot point

[@averytubestudios]

Minato is my favorite protagonist but, if he returns is another P5 spin-off or P6 I’ll be mad.

[@mellamosteve331]

Don't forget about Elizabeth

[@tsunox1279]

i think that he can come back, but either he can reincarnate, maybe he could revive like Jesus do but he literally gave his life essence

[@faultyvideos2215]

Honestly, the answer's ending COULDVE been worse. It couldve easily been better, VERY easily by just making the idea to put an end to erebus for good being played off as an impossible task that can never be accomplished, but it couldve been worse if, say, they only needed to kill Erebus to bring Minato back to life, rather than restore humanity's will to live. THAT would've probably removed all value from The Journey's ending

[@rushystrega7297]

But thats what happened in the answer though ( regarding being impossible to permanently putting erebus to an end ) .. it was even mentioned in p4 and mentioned several times in p4a/au. Yeah elizabeth is trying to free him and all but in order to do so all of humanity would need a change of heart and be free of any despair which is literally impossible, if it wasn't and if it did happen though, there wouldn't be anymore persona games 🤔

[@faultyvideos2215]

@@rushystrega7297 I just realized... isn't that what basically happened in P5? Ridding humanity of despair, I mean. At the very least, the defeat of Yaldy restored faith in the population of Shibuya.

[@rushystrega7297]

@@faultyvideos2215 ehhh not really. Yaldabaoth being destroyed didn't really change people's hearts or something of the sort but they were freed from not thinking what to do in their lives for themselves.There's still corruption and malice within everyone, and , hypothetically speaking if beating Yalda DID change peoples hearts , it would exclusively be a Shibuya thing, and not the entire humanity. I do agree with your and nams opinion on something though. It would be pretty damn stupid and meaningless if they could bring back Minato alive in any shape or form ( def not as a human since is body is buried somewhere but as an android with his soul installed or even a velvet assistant ) xD

[@paperluigi6132]

@@rushystrega7297 Now I'm intrigued at Makoto being an Anti Shadow Supression Weapon. But yeah, the best way would be for him to have his soul freed, say thank you and goodbye to whomever freed him (probably the Phantom Thieves) and SEES, and moving on to the afterlife saying "I will always be watching you"

[@DrTranReincarnated]

If the end brought Minato back the life then it would of been bad

[@johnny_my_penls_is_small_but]

Subtitles: "A rapist is attracted to Aigis's wild card ability" *._.*

[@papieverett]

12:54

[@bluerosekoro8875]

Lol

[@gettheheehoeoutofhere2501]

"a rapist from reaching nicks a rapist is attracted to i guess is wildcard ability" is what said for me lmaoooo

[@gyarurespecter3386]

yeah same

[@johnny_my_penls_is_small_but]

@@gyarurespecter3386 Man of Culture

[@jonahj9519]

See, I kinda interpret them “saving” the protagonist as letting his soul rest, rather than having it constantly fighting off Erebus. Like, his body is dead, buried and decaying in the ground. I don’t believe he can ever be alive again.

[@kallum39]

I do think that he would become a "uber being" like Elizabeth if she does manage to bring him back but no way his body just restores itself and starts walking and talking.

[@saulinhosss]

@@kallum39 Walking? No, dancing

[@FromASatalitePlace]

Did people forget cremation exists?

[@pickedceasar1216]

@@FromASatalitePlace especially since I'm pretty sure the Japanese rarely do burials. Usually japanese cemeteries are pretty compact with a headstone for your family. Sometimes you might get an individual headstone but it's still usually cremation Though I could be wrong. Just going off of what I've observed and been told

[@davidalvarez5659]

I mean, Maruki did that with just a Persona...

[@FeCyrineu]

To be honest, I though that Yukari's actions in the Answer wasn't that bad as you said. In the Journey, Yukari looked down upon her mother because she clung to the past and wasn't able to cope with her husband's death even after a decade. Through the game, Yukari decided to move on from her father's death and keep going fowards, looking towards the future. In the Answer, it shows that's an easier thing said rather than done. Yukari knows that what she is doing is irracional and she even despizes herself for it, most likely because she was acting just like her mother did, but she does it anyway because emotions aren't racional. Most people don't like what the Answer did with Yukari's character, but I did. I thought it was touching.

[@GaeaRage0798]

*THIS*

[@TJ_Sind2000]

Agreed! ffs! Imo the answer is good BECAUSE of what it does to yukari's character, she might be the character with the most depth in all of P3 P4 and P5, yes she acted on impulse but unlike junpei's superficial "wanna be leader" tantrum, this one actually has a well-developed emotion and a valid motivation, and it gives her character that much more personality. mix that with her jealousy of aigis inheriting the power, and you get the complexity that is the cherry on top.

[@dalian-9114]

Like Yukari as a character in the first place can't move on from her father's death in the first place even after 10 years without having closure on why he died. And here weeks later after Minato died, she's presented with the opportunity or a slim chance to save him. Sure she's shown her worst side but doesn't mean it's not understandable to empathize with her

[@covid20pro86]

yup. being not rational doesn't mean it's not relatable. a relatable character is good

[@Koko-cy4ff]

Exactly what I think was the point. The game starts portraying her as the bad guy at one point and that all builds up to you starting to dislike her a bit. Only for that to do a 180 when she collapses on the ground and starts crying. At least that's the effect the story had one me personally. I don't think I'd have it any other way for Yukari specifically.

[@superiorgamedude]

The pronunciations in this video make me wanna join Shinji and Protag-kun.

[@NamsCompendium]

If you think that’s bad, wait until I do the P1 and P4 videos lol.

[@DenDen021]

@@NamsCompendium o.o

[@cumekira70]

@@NamsCompendium excited for the p1 review ngl

[@matthiasbang8776]

stfu nerd

[@superiorgamedude]

@@matthiasbang8776 Chill out bro.

[@jokerinsmash9155]

I remember first playing P3FES. While playing through The Journey, I was overgrinding, thinking "I will make my Personas strong so I can use them later on The Answer!" I legit got so pissed when playing The Answer lol.

[@archanieladskhan864]

Lol.. same like me hiks, when i play the answer.. like wth:) Btw when i was child i think the answer like mm VERY HARD than journey:v

[@bobpizza1460]

I don't blame you. Thought the same thing😦

[@SantosAl]

I remember reading a fanfiction where The Answer was orchestrated by Minato to resolve the the emotional issues caused by his death; they where starting to "wish for death". And that He doesn't expect them to succeed in saving humanity, but the pursuit of this goal would help them overcome their fear and depression.

[@Zakkious]

That's actually more interesting than The Answer itself. What's the name of this fanfic?

[@micahlindley7515]

I NEED A LINK!

[@thatoneguy5343]

NEW CANON!

[@ultragamer4465]

@@Zakkious my brother in Christ that's literally the answer but now instead of their wish to see Minato leading them there it's Minato.

[@archivist_13]

GODAMNIT MAN I NEED A LINK

[@SapphireLibra3]

Honestly, I don't think Minato would come back to life. Rather, I feel that if humanity regains the will to live, Minato would be able to pass on into the Sea of Souls. Right now, his soul is in a state of limbo, with the only thing he CAN do being acting as the Great Seal. Also, the idea of Humanity regaining the will to live is something that may take a long time to accomplish, so by the time it's done SEES may be long gone. This is all my theory, and my way to give weight to The Answer without destroying The Journey.

[@newtondamon]

idk minatos ultimate persona IS the messiah and he's kinda compared to jesus visually in game so it could make sense symbolically if he came back

[@SapphireLibra3]

@@newtondamon Maybe, but I consider that to be represented in how he was essentially dead but came back for those last few months to keep his promise to his friends, only to then pass on to the afterlife afterward.

[@ElectricBarrier]

Actually, Elizabeth is implied to have already gone to take his souls place as the seal so that he can pass on, if I recall.

[@nothingtoseeexceptwaifus]

@@ElectricBarrier If memory serves me right, Liz's plan is to kill Erebus and free Door-kun from the Seal tho

[@ElectricBarrier]

@@nothingtoseeexceptwaifus That seems to be it, from what I can tell from the SMT wiki anyway. I went and checked it. In the articles that mention it her goal is just to free his soul and permanently kill the thing. It mentions nothing about him just coming back to life after that and really, it's totally understandable to want him not to just sit there in front of a door for all eternity. I think that's all things like FEF are meant to be setting up.

[@jorgeperez2872]

Heck, a good portion of the fanbase have the opinion that Minato should not come back, but rather be finally at peace in some kind of afterlife. They could effectively kill Erebus by doing something similar as the end of P5, changing humanity's hearts for good.

[@nothingtoseeexceptwaifus]

For some reason, I think that the production team of P5 were purposely using the plan of Liz mentioned in P4AU as the main idea for the creation of Phantom Thieves. Besides, I think that Joker's World Arcana which is never used in the whole P5 game MIGHT be a conservation for the plot of Persona 6

[@littenfire3563]

@@nothingtoseeexceptwaifus me too, when Elizabeth mentioned how she needed the power to "CHANGE PEOPLE'S HEARTS" to save Makoto Yuki, I remember thinking: "the Phantom Thieves are a missing ingredient! They're part of what she needs to bring him back" :3

[@nothingtoseeexceptwaifus]

@@littenfire3563 Agreed. But I personally thinks that Door-kun and Door-chan might have met when they're sealing Nyx. So it might be a good story if Atlus knows how to use the character correctly.

[@SakurakoLover]

I guess we can let Minato in afterlife like gow Tatsuya went back to IS timeline at the end of EP

[@phantomslay5612]

Changing humanity's hearts is not their job.

[@eriochromeblackt3021]

When Junpei is the most rational being in the team, that's a bad sign right there. Also, you may not like Yukari for her irrational actions but people do things irrationally especially if they lose something very important to them.

[@Mojo1356]

It really bothers me how many people don’t seem to get that.

[@kamz9105]

I understand that yukari acted irrational because of minato death, but they all lost someone important to them

[@eriochromeblackt3021]

@@kamz9105 different people take things differently.

[@yeoungduck8782]

@@Mojo1356 she’s still fucking garbage in this arc no matter how you slice it

[@Mojo1356]

@@yeoungduck8782 no she’s not. Go 3 steps over to Golden and talk to the bear for an actual garbage character.

[@Walrus-yq6uh]

Honestly, looking at it from the perspective of Yukari loving Minato, missing his final moments alive since he was with AIGIS and she didn't even remember everything, *and* AIGIS inheriting his Wild Card power, her anger and jealousy that AIGIS was a walking reminder of what she'd lost not even weeks earlier makes sense. They just spent way too much time having her embody the Anger stage of grief. It makes her realistic but at least in The Answer that also makes her unlikable.

[@Mojo1356]

While she is unlikable as a person, who is likable in a state of grief that bad? I can look past the unlikable part if the character is being portrayed as a realistic human being, and that is exactly the case for Yukari. Also, The Answer made her my favorite Persona 3 character- maybe even my favorite character in the franchise (I don’t yet- it’s pretty close between her, Futaba, and Yoshizawa)

[@B_A-tr]

@@Mojo1356 putting everyones life on the line and being aggresive towards ones friends is not realistic, its a case for a psychologist

[@Mojo1356]

B A the former is a case that can never happen in real life anyways(you underestimate how bad the desire to get your loved one back can cloud judgement). I’m sorry, the latter isn’t realistic when you lose somebody you love? Hard disagree.

[@Mojo1356]

B A wait, didn’t we have this discussion before and it ended with an agree to disagree? Your username looks familiar. Edit: I’ll take your silence as a sign that is what happened. In that case, let’s not have a repeat of last time.

[@Damian_h]

@@B_A-tr humans are selfish by nature. Yukari reaction to obtain what she desire is the most human thing.

[@DeadNelo]

Google translate be like : bennito > minato A rapist > arebus I guess > aigis Medicine > metis

[@GiordanDiodato]

probably because he says "Minato" wrong

[@espio329]

he pronounced Erebus incorrectly too. Air-e-bus

[@greattower1650]

"the final battle is a rapist"

[@Person-fq9uz]

*minute toes*

[@InktheImpassive]

Y'now Yukari's character kinda improved in the Answer She suffered from the 5 stages of grief And her Arcana being the Lovers(symbolism) and her persona being Isis(a woman who traveled over Egypt and tried to collect her lover's separated body parts to see him again) relates to her more in this story. And it's because of her love for Door-kun And Margaret stated that her Sister(Elizabeth) attempts to save Door-kun from being a door/seal

[@Xeroxthebeautiful]

We even see Elizabeth almost desperately searching for a way to save him in P4A

[@Mojo1356]

Xeroxthebeautiful this. Many people have said that Yukari willing to do anything to bring Makoto back is unrealistic and a case for a therapist- wrong. It’s both realistic and a case for a therapist when you have a past as bad as Yukari’s.

[@marche800]

Personally I like to think that freeing Minato wouldn't bring him back but would at least let his soul rest. I mean logically his body has already been buried and probably decomposed by the time of Persona 5. There's no way he could come back physically unless they made him a new vessel. Elizabeth's story in Persona 4 Arena seems to be following up on Arena where she is also on the save Minato train, only she seems more like she wants to free his soul rather than bring him back to life. Though with the change in writing team following Persona 5 it's hard to say where this plot thread will go at this point.

[@mortiphasm5597]

I agree. Since the game takes place in Japan, he's probably been cremated, which means his body is ashes by the time of The Answer.

[@clodaghay]

persona 5 didnt have as many references to the previous games, hell they hardly acknowledged them unless you went out of your way to look for the references which were almost always a line of dialogue on tv. that fact alone didnt still me with much confidence that we’d get a follow-up to this plotline, but hey maybe persona 6 will? who knows

[@marche800]

@@clodaghay Well sure but with the existence of crossover spinoffs it could be picked up by those games.

[@JoelPerry1]

While I think Minato can be released from the seal, I don't think he can come back to life. His body has been buried for 8ish years by Persona 5. His spirit would just move on to wherever Persona characters go when they die.

[@Mageman17]

JoelPerry1 Personally, when they mean come back to life, I understood it as re-incarnation, for the logcal implications that his original body would've been rotted by then. It also makes it more sad that his friends won't be there to see him once it does happen, as they most certainly be old or dead when the time comes.

[@JoelPerry1]

@@Mageman17 don't you mean PERSONAlly? But sure it's possible. I think even that cheapens his sacrifice a little but the possibility is there.

[@unknownguy8687]

Atlus should leave the p3 protagonist be, it would brutally ruin the message of the entire game.

[@spine747]

or he could go to a body that is made like aigis, or go into velvet team, or die

[@mizzix]

@@spine747 just let the dude rest, please dont bring him back, you effectively ruin your game's plot like that. Not everything needs a happy ending where everyone gets what they want.

[@Darkkefka]

Persona 3 FES is what brought me into the Series. I played the answer immediatly after beating the Journey....I beat it once.....and NEVER played the answer again. Not because of the plot...but because of the frustrating boss fights as you said.

[@RosyMiranto]

And the most annoying part about the fusing here is the realization that Shuffle Time is only on Personas between Magician and Hanged Man Arcanas, and since most of the highest level Personas are in the Arcanas of Temperance and forward, you can only get them through fusion which is a bitch to do since there's no Compendium to get the easier time to fuse.

[@thatitalianlameguy2235]

Why would you care about them when there's no compendium to complete and the good Personas like Odin and Shiva are easy to get?

[@RosyMiranto]

@@thatitalianlameguy2235 uh... I'm honestly speechless with what you said there.

[@azurestarseliph5926]

There is one good thing we can agree that The Answer gave us: Heartful Cry

[@Fermin-hw5pd]

Darkness as well

[@TheFahmi97]

That guitar solo in Heartful cry is heaven's sent

[@cuckoophendula8211]

What's sad is that I discovered Heartful Cry during P4 Arena since I just couldn't bear getting far enough in P3 the Answer

[@Miyakolover]

I disgree...It also gave us a great story with great character development too...people just bandwagon the hate because it became a trend. Just like Yukari's hate was a trend back in the day that died out nowadays.

[@sergiosalazar8702]

@@Miyakolover Fax

[@plague9818]

Reminder that Junpei is the GOAT. My man had the best character arc in the Journey (lets just try to forget that Chidori came back) and he was the most mature in the Answer.

[@Yukari_MAiG]

Plague Yeah, he has been through the pain of losing the loved one so I think that develop his character to the point of being able to cope with MC's death better.

[@elflordyt6830]

Chidori revising is CANON. In arena, he talks about how he's got a special girl waiting for him back home after this next game in inaba

[@plague9818]

@@elflordyt6830 I know it is. I just don't think that was a good choice in terms of writing.

[@elflordyt6830]

@@plague9818, true. but to me i played only fes and portable, and it doesnt feel like it was rushed or anything and its a great implementation, because it feels like its a part of the original.

[@purplespectre]

@@elflordyt6830 But that contradicts the Answer; in the Answer, Chidori is dead... so how can they both be canon?

[@DrTranReincarnated]

Tbf the move he used was always called “the great seal” meaning this was their goal and I actually saw it as a will for them to live. Obviously they can’t accomplish this goal they’ll never change the entire worlds hearts and not even The phantom thief’s could do that. Another sign of this is a magical being like Elizabeth can’t even bring him back. Minato’s death is permanent but he makes everyone else better by being a literal symbol of hope that one day he may return.

[@rocu2311]

It shouldn't be surprising either tbh. Minato is very clearly inspired by Jesus, and what was Jesus said to have performed days after death? Lol

[@MikulOnIce85]

I think over that possibility of The Great Seal becoming no longer needed, and I really don't think Minato could come back to life. His physical body is gone, and I think that the most that could be done is Minato could pass onto an afterlife so to speak.

[@ssifr3331]

Compendium doesn't exist in the answer because elizabeth refused to serve aegis who illegally copied minato's power.

[@tonyknighton4019]

Really?

[@ForrestFox626]

That's petty if true

[@HyenaFox]

Stories like P3's, stories about death and the acceptance of death, are often incredibly hard for a lot of people to fully agree with or like, as death is something a good majority of us are terrified of in some way or another. With this, I don't mean that people don't like stories about death, I mean that in stories like these, most people would greatly prefer to see characters that they grew attached to live. But in stories like these, death being permanent is paramount to the theming and message of the story. Persona 3 feels like a story about accepting death's inevitability and making the most out of your life while you're living it. Persona 3 The Answer feels entirely like a story born out of the desire for every character to make it out Scott free.

[@GiordanDiodato]

Sadly the Answer is why everyone hates the best P3 girl... which I think is unfair.

[@RatsFunHouse101]

but why would the Answer make people hate Fuuka?

[@t-universegamer7609]

No no no, that's the *other* robot.

[@GiordanDiodato]

@@t-universegamer7609 nah she belongs in a junkyard

[@dragonquest8ftw1]

Nah, I always thought Yukari was a bitch in the Journey, she just amplified that bitch scale in the Answer.

[@pankeksenpai5323]

Huh I didn't hate mitsuru after the answer

[@cax1175]

I hope Elizabeth frees the P3 Protagonist eventually, even if just so he can pass on. Just so she can see him one more time.

[@hylianheadache5856]

I never understand why people have such a problem with Yukari, but hardly ever mention Mitsuru. She _knew_ Yukari's thoughts on going back in time were wrong, she was still level-headed (unlike Yukari), yet went along with her idea anyway 'because friendship!'. Not that I dislike Mitsuru - very much the opposite, I think it's impossible to _not_ love her - but it does seem slightly out of character. Yukari having such a dumb idea is not out of character and understandable considering her emotions.

[@Sextus70]

I know this comment is 3 years old (maybe the OP doesn't even care about this verse anymore lol), but still I would like to share my take about that "out of character" moment. While she clearly knew that her goals were wrong, I think Mitsuru decided to "support" Yukari precisely because she expected her to lose against Aigis or the others. In my headcanon she restrains a lot in the fight (although in the gameplay it might not look like that) and indirectly helps Aigis to win, so they can all snap Yukari out of her madness once she is weakened. As showed in that cutscene, the only reason she stood beside Yukari when no one else did was just because she felt indebted to her for helping her overcome her depression. That fits her honorable personality IMO and shows how she became a more empathetic person compared to her past self.

[@cristianmastrocicco4552]

I think Atlus should've called it "The answer to a question nobody asked"

[@Miyakolover]

If we have to wait for the fanbase to "Ask" no stories would be made.

[@spairly9895]

I think for minato is likely more his soul being free rather than him being alive again. I think it important to note that there many thing that happen to Yukari that lead her to acting the way she is in the answer even her thinking irrationally. Yukari from my own experience feel like she clinical depressed and suffering from rare symptoms known as complicated grief (extreme grief) people who in extreme stage of grief had a hard time thinking rational when dealing with major pain, picture this imagine being stabbed with knife, or remember the most painful mental or physical pain and imagine you have to deal with it 15/7 or 24/7. It really deeply painful. There a lot of risk factor that lead yukari to suffering complicated grief in the answers. Dysfunctional family, isolated, alienated, ambivalent, low self-esteem, overly dependent, avoidant, unexpected (p3 protagonist death). History of early insecure attachment, history of mood or anxiety, history of multiple traumatic event or losses, repressed emotions. complicated grief is very Intense sorrow and emotional pain with chemical imbalance that take hold of the person mind that will not make any process or put them on a hold for however long. I hope yukari is more better understand with this context in mind, I do think they could of give her little more logic like going into how the time travel work and how long so on before going full grief again I thought I leave this link since i think they did a good job going in depth of yukari character twitter.com/wiill64/status/1109811418554122240?s=19

[@NamsCompendium]

I appreciate you going out of your way to link that thread, it's something that I'll take a look at when I have the time. I see where you're coming from, but I personally feel there isn't enough information in the story itself to justify her actions. If we compare the way she acts at the end of the journey to the arena battles in the answer, there is a stark contrast in attitudes towards life. I can't really say I agree with the notion of her having attachment issues because what we see in the journey didn't really sell me. Yukari hates her mom but wants to reconcile by the end of her social link, and her main character arc is her letting go of her father and living her life. I can't really see her having an obsession over Minato's death because I didn't get much out of their relationship other than it being just a high school crush. But that's my opinion. Mental health is a very complicated thing and it's different for everyone in the world, but I don't think Persona 3, in general, did a good job at setting this up for Yukari if that was the case. So if I were to look at just what is presented in the story, it feels regressive for her character to me. I'm happy you got something out of her character in the answer though.

[@sofihanafi3196]

Buh the thread you share are soooo amazing ,thank you for sharing that

[@thegamerfe8751]

@@NamsCompendium Honestly, it feels less "regressive" and more realistic imo. Pretty sure anyone here in her situation would have become in the same state and done the same shit. That's what's good about her, she's realistic and relatable cause you never know what you might do when someone really close to you dies. Also, in the journey there are many hints scattered across the journey (other than the social link) that Yukari might have some romantic feelings towards MC, unfortunately those moments were removed in the anime and replaced with more Aigis screen time (ik this is unrelated but it really bugs me) like the beach scene and how she was really worried about him after he passes out from the first time he summons Orpheus/Thanatos.

[@cranburrey]

Her character makes me cry. I was already feeling sad today but after reading the thread, I already feel a lot sadder. Who knew a fictional character could make me cry

[@ThatBoyAqua]

I really appreciate your opinion on Persona 3 The Answer, I never played it despite having Person 3 FES. I slightly disagree with your opinion on the ending of The Answer but it is just a subjective difference of opinion and I still really enjoyed your review of Persona 3 The Answer very much. Great work Nam12399!

[@IceBlueLugia]

I didn’t get that feeling about the protagonist’s death. The way I see it, Makoto could theoretically come back to life but realistically it will never happen, which I felt actually enforced the game’s theme even more because it meant that Makoto was taking responsibility for his actions. I agree with you on pretty much everything else though

[@sahisiva9904]

To be honest, I would be okay with Minato coming back to life, if done right. I believe that with enough effort, it could be done, causing an equally sad and heartbreaking moment like P3’s journey ending. Maybe something like somebody else needing to sacrifice themselves for Minato to come back, testing their loyalty, friendship and love for Minato. Or you could be given a choice when you play as Agnis, and everyone could turn on each other. Some shit could happen and for like 15 seconds Agnis and Minato switch places with their life’s essence and Minato begs them to stop fighting because he doesn’t want to see them against each other. He blames himself for what happened and how he couldn’t be stronger. After tearful apologies and thank you’s, Agnis and Minato switch back since Agnis is a robot and she doesn’t have a life’s essence. I’m rambling out of my butthole okay? What I’m trying to say is that If done properly Minato could definitely have a good revival that wraps everything up, or he could have a good conclusion where not only the P3 crew, but the fans realize that Minato needs to stay dead, because that’s his story. If it’s done right I would prefer him coming back to life honestly, but I could live without it. I have a question. If you were part of SEES and you had a chance to bring back Minato, even if it meant giving up someone else’s life, would you? Would you fight with Yukari and Mitsuri, who want to sacrifice someone to bring him back, or would you fight on the opposite side, the side that realizes however much they try, and no matter what pain they go through, Minato will never truly come back? Tell me in the comments. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk :) have a nice day *In reality I’m on Minato’s side, the guy who just wants to nap all day as a statue, like leave ME ALONE-*

[@sahisiva9904]

Matteo Marshall lol we all have our own opinions and I respect that :D

[@darknessknows1235]

tbh I bet that if he ever came back to life he would be replacing Elizabeth. It would make sense for her character to decide to switch places with him, seeing as she's more or less used to being in an eternal role.

[@nothingtoseeexceptwaifus]

@Matteo Marshall Well, its true that bringing him back to life will ruin the message of P3. But try to think that: what if he is brought back by force to save the world and die AGAIN?

[@nothingtoseeexceptwaifus]

@Matteo Marshall That would just be pointless for him to exist tbh. Since Atlus have already given the plot hole, then they should fill it. I wouldn't mind if he got bring back and die AGAIN, but it would just be a waste of money, time and effort for let him be in those pointless, non-important fanservice spin-offs. Just my opinion, no hate comments or fights

[@nothingtoseeexceptwaifus]

@Matteo Marshall Besides, I would like to see Persona 6 being a finale to the original universe and a transference to a brand new universe with new storylines which is non-related to the stories of the original universe, just like JoJo Part 6 Stone Ocean.

[@SantaFeSuperChief1]

Yukari's actions during the answer are realistic for someone grieving the loss of a close friend, I will die on this hill.

[@pentexsucks43]

King

[@aleph7056]

Ah yes, when I'm grieving and get the chance to go back in time, I too put my friends in harm's way to do it.

[@pentexsucks43]

@@aleph7056 implying everyone grieves the same as you do

[@aleph7056]

@@pentexsucks43 Since I'm like most people, I would assume so.

[@pentexsucks43]

@@aleph7056 "since im like most people." what? how does one come to such a stupid conclusion? everyone reacts differently to things, are you 12 or something? that should be common sense, and what constitutes as "like most people"? shittiest take ever

[@RynerAGL]

I understand Yukari freaking out with the chance of saving Minato form his fate, but the problem here is that she went completelly agaisnt the SEES for it, after what happend against Nyx and the losses they've been through, they would be pretty much brothers and sisters at this point, they all share the pain, but nope, this drama is the setup for the characters boss fights, felt like filler if you ask me. Her reasons for doing it makes sense, if anything it is an important part of her story, end up fighting her friends for it is the problem

[@nathanlabrador7664]

These are my exact complaints about Yukari in The Answer.

[@TwinkleStar707]

I think the reason they’re split up the way they are makes sense, it’s just poorly explained. Yukari and Mitsuru are the obvious ones. They want to go back to the past to try and find a way to stop the fall without sacrificing Minato. They’re stuck in the past. Junpei and Koromaru don’t want to make a decision and just want everyone to calm down. However, meandering in between doesn’t help reach a resolution either. Ken and Akihiko want to face the future forward, and while ultimately the best decision, they aren’t giving the time to heal the emotional pain the others are going through, which is why they’re being opposed. Finally, Aigis and Metis haven’t made a decision yet. Unlike Junpei however, they are actively trying to make a choice, and are considering both sides.

[@connorharnage6697]

Where was it ever implied that the main character could come back? I just finished the answer and never got that vibe. At best, what I took away was 'Minato is fighting an eternal fight so that the world and his friends can live'. People will never stop yearning for death. Life just sucks too much some times. As for Yukari and Mitsuru, they were just given an opportunity they never had before and (in my opinion), the most irrational character in the game was willing to take it. That makes sense to me. It seems like a fairly natural reaction to me. The people I would blame in this scenario are Akihiko and Ken for responding so aggressively, making Yukari feel cornered and making her less likely to listen to reason. I'm not saying anyone's wrong but that's just how I see those two events

[@ltkarma4979]

THIS

[@loganbigmo]

They say that if humanity stops yearning for Death, there would be no need for Makoto's life essence to serve as the Great Seal. Which Nam here (the uploader) perceived as Makoto coming back to life. But most of us in the comments perceived it another way: Makoto's spirit would pass on to the Sea of Souls or whatever afterlife they got instead of serving as a door.

[@dastanovich2476]

The only time ATLUS adding more plot into a re-release that greatly enhanced the story instead of completely ruining it was with P2: Eternal Punishment PSP's Tatsuya Scenario and P5 Royal's Maruki sub-plot

[@joshkary5040]

P4G's additional content may not have been the best in the series or anything, but it DEFINITELY did not completely ruin it. It felt tacked on and the dungeon itself was pretty meh, but it did NOT ruin it by any stretch of the imagination. It was completely separate if anything, so it can't really detract from it

[@Sensko]

I like Maruki's plot, but I wish they'd either put it before either Shido or the Grail. As is, it really throws off the pacing.

[@joshkary5040]

Sensko strong disagree, but to each their own

[@Fermin-hw5pd]

@@joshkary5040 you can also show your reasons, but to each their own right...?

[@acceldiamond8651]

I would like to think more that the message with this part of the game is to "move on" and accepting that he died for them and the World. He's supposed to be the Messiah, it is told to him from the beginning "You, who wish to safeguard the future" and even in the Credits sequence we see the Persona Messiah as his Ultimate Persona. I think they originally wrote the ending of the Answer as him returning to life if the World stops asking for death as a nod to the biblical messiah, Jesus Christ, who returned to life three days after his death. I'm not sure if they'll keep that idea in mind for three more games (probably Persona 6), but at this point I don't think they will actually do that (in fact, I think they just forgot about it). I'll stick to the message of accepting death and moving on, living life to the fullest.

[@Yukari_MAiG]

Accel Diamond Accepting death and move on is definitely the message from this game.

[@YesLegend936]

I don't see how Makoto can come back imo. Because it's impossible to not have people that won't wish for death. Which as some other comments pointed out makes it sadder that it can happen but it won't. His death is still forever unlike Chidori's and Shinji's.

[@thewerdna]

I choose for the sake of my sanity to interpret that bringing the protagonist back to life is impossible now, and that at best freeing him would just let his soul pass on and not have to be a door for all eternity

[@Yo5463]

I did like the answer. I interpreted Minato being free from the seal as him resting in peace rather than in eternal limbo with Erebus and Nyx. Not coming back to life. Also, Yukari and Misturu's story was very moving. In my canon, Yukari fell in love with the protagonist in addition to having a great debt to him. She may have learnt a lot during The Journey, but we all go against our better judgement when times are desperate. Persona 3 is about death, not heroics. And their course of action isn't portrayed as righteous. But grieving a loved one, even to an obsessive degree lies heavily within the theme. The game is only better because of its inclusion.

[@scrapyarddragon]

I mean, even if erebus becomes no more, One would imagine that all they'd get is allowing Minato's soul to rest in peace instead of sealing Nyx. Unless they plan to clone a new body for him.

[@dragonheart1236]

I mean..... Sentient robots are canonically a thing, Teddie from P4 being able to gain a body despite only being a shadow..... Making a clone body for Minato isn't too outside the realm of possibility.

[@Mojo1356]

(Warning- massive essay read) I’ll be honest- I strongly disagree with your points on Yukari. While the Journey was about accepting that Death exists and can and will happen at some point, that doesn’t mean it was also about preparing for the grief and depression that comes with it as well- let alone for the person you love the most/ the person who made it possible to reconcile with her mother. I speak from experience- logic and price don’t matter in a state of grief that bad. If you had a sliver of hope to bring someone dear to you back from the dead- you don’t cafe what the cost is. You would take that chance. Granted- I understand that it might be incredibly difficult to understand this point if you haven’t experienced grief at that age that badly like me or Yukari (though the number of people that fall in that category is alarming to say the least), but I wouldn’t say that Yukari showing such extreme grief was bad writing more than being very realistic. If anything, this brings up my biggest criticism with the plot of The Answer. Everyone takes the grief like champs, and it’s highly unrealistic and unrelatable. Okay- I can buy Akihiko and Junpei realistically dealing with this grief since they have lost people multiple times and have repeatedly moved fine enough as well as being the least emotionally tied members of sees to Makoto, but the others? They should have had a harder time dealing with the grief of losing Makoto (it was realistic for Aigis at first since she deactivated herself after the death of Makoto, but after reactivating herself, she just pushes aside her grief too easily that it’s like the writers forgot she also has a heart like a human. However, Ken is by far the biggest offender here. Ken dealing with the grief well has 2 major issues for me. A) your telling me that a 10 year old kid who tried to kill himself months ago suddenly has grief control like a mature adult? Nope- don’t buy that one bit. That kind of growth is something that boring perfect shoen protagonists do, and Ken is no boring shoen protagonist. And B) imo, dealing with grief and having an unclouded judgement completely undermines his character from the Journey imo. While I was on and off for Ken as a character for multiple reasons, I always thought that his character was suppose to boil down to a kid that wants to act like a mature adult that still shows signs of him being a kid. While I have mixed feelings on how far they went with the mature part (particularly for anyone who wished to be a pedophile in portable as femc), it was for the most part still realistic and relatable. The Answer decides to completely throw away the kid part by giving him godlike grief control and never show his kid side at all in the plot and end up removing any relatability I had with Ken. I can’t connect with Ken at all now since he has unreasonable grief control for a kid his age. Simply put, to me, The Answer did to Ken what many claim The Answer did to Yukari- completely undermine the character) That said, I will agree that Mitsuru’s behavior was problematic here. While I understand why she went with Yukari (personal vows and whatnot), what the hell was she thinking leaving it up to chance to see if Yukari would move past her anger phase of grief for so long? While it did get better when she promised to be with Yukari in her most desperate hours, she still took way too long to freaking get there. While I liked The Answer decently enough since it was about dealing with the grief and depression after death does happen (morseso with Yukari because of how realistic she is) the things that bother me in the plot really do bother me a lot. As for gameplay, I haven’t played it myself, but I probably never will because I have heard enough about how much of a grindfest it is (and like hell would I trust the AI to do my combat for me.)

[@Miyakolover]

"A) your telling me that a 10 year old kid who tried to kill himself months ago suddenly has grief control like a mature adult? Nope- don’t buy that one bit" I don't see why not...I mean losing your mother, Shinjiro and the MC can make you numb to these kind of stuff to an extent.

[@Mojo1356]

@@Miyakolover if that were the case, he wouldn’t be able to feel happiness at all.

[@Miyakolover]

@@Mojo1356 It's a coping mechanism that many of us could use to try and stay happy in hard times. The way I see it, Ken already has experienced this enough time that he can pretty much handle it at this point.

[@Mojo1356]

@@Miyakolover yeah- Ultimax would like a word with you.

[@Miyakolover]

@@Mojo1356 You do realize that happened 3 years later in Ken's life, right?

[@TheOminousFlareShow]

Finally reached the ending, and I can easily say that you're wrong about everything, especially Yukari.

[@elias-tt7vx]

Pretty much

[@purpleplasma4824]

The Answer is a good addition imo.

[@SpideyfanX]

I still feel like there could be potential in a story where Joker, Yu, Aigis, Tatsuya, Maya, and Boy With Earring could all come together with their respective teams and work together along with Elizabeth to permanently put down Erebus. After all, we know the Phantom Thieves are capable of stealing Hearts. Perhaps they can also steal Humanity's desire for death as well? Idk.

[@davidmarez3707]

Persona Infinity War?

[@sarafontanini7051]

I feel like that the final boss should've been some demon that represents/was attracted towards everyone's despair over Minato's death, and the reason they can't escape is that they can't escape that day Minato died in their minds, and it should've been about moving on in the wake of such a tragedy instead of 'oh we'll change the world so this guy who died can come back'

[@SorarikoMotone]

actually i disagree with "coming back to life" bit. Imo getting rid of erebus would just let his soul finally to rest in peace, not necessarily come to life, since his body is long gone by that point.

[@hisdudeness1835]

Small thing, when you talked about the Shadow Protag Bossfight beating you because Odin was weak to wind... Since that boss copies the personas of your active party you could've just taken out Yukari so he can't use wind spells. Doesn't change the fact that the lack of a compedium sucks but you could've made it easier than grinding for another Surt :D

[@yamilishernandez7670]

Minato coming back as a The World Arcana in a next instalment of persona would be the ultimate gigachad move

[@darkmanure]

But he's the universe.

[@Seedmember]

I always got the impression that "rescuing" Minato meant releasing his soul and letting him rest and not actually resurrecting him. Although one side of me would like to see a happy ending for the SEES team and Minato, I don't know what would qualify an ordeal big enough to overcome the importance of the game's message. Anyways, the task needed to rescue him is pretty much impossible by definition. For something to be important there has to exist something else that proves its value. Memories with people become the strongest and most valuable when those people are no longer around. Virtues are important because negative behaviour exists to show their worth. Good exists because there is evil. If you eliminate one factor then everything becomes stale and meaningless because there is nothing to compare it to. So, by definition, for one to exist, the other must exist as well. Door kun, sadly, is doomed, unless someone else takes his place.

[@breakerdox1239]

Awesome commentary as always 👍👍🔥🔥

[@Prism988]

While I agree the Answer is for the most part bad, I disagree with some of your arguments: not having an entire formation of enemies with the same weakness is not a fuck-up, it just doesn't make it a cake-walk. Not having a compendium means being calculated when fusing for a new persona and making sure your bases are covered when you do that, personally I really didn't have an issue with it. So both of these make the combat aspect more challenging, but it drags on because there's too much of it, not because it's changed. And lastly, no, I really don't think it's implied Minato can come back to life if so and so happens, but that his soul can rest, which is a perfectly reasonable future development if it ever comes up again.

[@GleamingGarmore]

Ok, the Chidori revival and Minato’s potential return SUCK, but I do think Shinjiro’s coma actually fits with the spin on P3’s themes that Minako brings. Persona 3 starts with “remember that you will die” and Minako’s existence continues that statement with “so, don’t give up before it’s really over.” The actual way things play out sucks but thematically, Minako forging a bond with Shinjiro and giving him that little spark of hope means a lot

[@Koko-cy4ff]

I think that if Makoto is brought back in, say, a game after P6, it wouldn't be that bad. It'd have been nearly 20 years since P3 and his death by then. The message has already been made clear. I think this can be compared to how I don't agree with people's complaints on how the FFVII Remake changes some specific things with some characters.

[@mickhailreeves7517]

Imagine the p3 protagonist is like the protagonist in p6 or p7 since his friends are all old or possibly dead he has to build new bonds

[@NIKOEVRN008]

I wouldnt like Makoto brought back since most likely thats Impossible so....I would like for him to be ReIncarnated instead , having a fully new character with the same personality as he is in Persona 3 and at least he will Remember the Past.

[@mizzix]

Yall are literally ignoring the message of p3. Accept death and move, live your life to the fullest. You guys aren't accepting makoto's.

[@backupschmliff1156]

Wasn't half the point of The Answer supposed to be a challenging bonus mode for people who liked the original P3's gameplay?

[@KCUFyoufordoxingme]

Any time this guy approaches a problem without thinking "teh rng god is reaally bad guys!!!" Also, he would not just "come back to life". His burden would be lifted. He would not just crawl out of his grave alive again. I did enjoy seeing Aigis sit in the orpheus harp chair.

[@daltonharmon1018]

The best jab I've ever heard someone do to yukari had to do with her early game in makoto/minato's awakening and that jab was "what tf she gonna do heal the shadow?"

[@mememcqueen5052]

I just realized, in part one, you didn't even mention KOROMARU

[@ThePoshboy1]

9:58 It's amazing how youtubers will put contradictory evidence to their points in their video. Ken said the following "personally... I still think it's because he used all his power to accomplish that miracle" - ie. it is his opinion that Minato sacrificed himself. At no point do they have any evidence about what happened to Minato until close to the end of the Answer.

[@realoglobster]

So your P3 analysis popped up in my recommended videos a few days after I finished my first playthrough of P5R and after paying P3FES last summer I have the compulsive desire to hear people talk about P3 a lot. I honestly think the whole Party Tournament Arc would have fit better in P5 in the lead up to Okumura and probably could have made sense in the new P5R month to maybe extend the length of the game to actually give us a playable Third Semester and not just...January and three days of February. I think one of the bigger issues with the tournament bit is that SEES feels like a tighter nit group after what they go through than the Phantom Thieves, (for context, I got into Persona with P5 and am in the process of going back to play the other games. I have a copy of P4 but haven't gotten to it yet and I would like to play P1 and P2 duology if ATLUS would port them those fucking cowards) and so it's less believable to me when SEES has a falling out than the Thieves. Honestly the only person who should be pissed is Koromaru cause the quality of his food suddenly drops off (YEAH I KNOW YOU DIDN'T TALK ABOUT THE GOODEST BOY, THERE IS A REASON I HAVE THE VIDEO OF KOROMARU'S BATTLE QUOTES SAVED AND NO OTHER PARTY MEMBER'S BECAUSE HE'S JUST TOO GOOD >:( ).

[@vendettaduck1288]

13:19 the way i read this was not that p3 protagonist could come back to life. i read it as his soul can be put to rest. his soul is holding the door shut. once he is no longer needed he can rest.

[@igonatangi]

I found an x8 exp and controllable party members cheat file just for The Answer.

[@AidenAlias]

To be fair Minato/Makoto reviving is purely hypothetical right? it sounds like he could come back if ALL of humanity has the will to live but thats not gonna happen if were being honest. I think it was supposed to be a hopefull thing to remind the characters and possibly the player "yeah hes dead but keep moving on type thing and one day who knows what will happen" Thats fitting because Atlus ended up bringing him and everyone else back a few times.

[@renamamiya5997]

Well it probably already happened in the P5R 3rd semester.

[@dragonheart1236]

@@renamamiya5997 that's the part that stings the most

[@EduardoDiaz-mz2vs]

FINALLY THE ANSWER SHAMING

[@wickedhermit7504]

This video is great I love the points with you I agree that the answer sucks. I can't wait to see your channel grow.

[@snozer6966]

Imo, the only things of value that is lost with The Answer not being in the reload are three things. The very last moment with Yukari and Aigis really does bring a massive smile to my face, Heartful Cry being one of the best battle themes in the series, and Brand New Days... which had the potential to be the best song in the whole series but suffers greatly with the context of The Answer. I guess I COULD see The Answer working but I don't know if people following the sudden love for The Answer band wagon realize how strange so many of the core story decisions really are.

[@davidtimmer596]

I think it's just counter bandwagon hopping. Sudden love for The Answer, or just riding it, simply because Reload's release is right around the corner.

[@urke5895]

I watched both of your P3 videos. I haven't finished Persona 3 cuz I was in high school and didn't have the time, for that long of a game. I ain't gonna lie, I did skip some parts of the video cuz I didn't want to get spoiled but that is only because you made me want to replay P3. These 2 videos were awesome and after watching the first P3 video I subscribed immediately and proceeded to watch the second video. I really like that you took your time analyzing the game, pointing out its flaws and strengths in detail, etc. These long types of videos are really refreshing for me and I hope to see more of them in the future. But I do have to ask, which is your personal favorite Persona game? And do you think that P3 could be the best Persona game if we got a remake of it (mainly fixing the battel mechanics and some social links)? Mitsuru best girl.

[@NamsCompendium]

Uroš thanks for watching. I hope you get around to finishing P3 soon because the ending of the journey really is something special. Persona 4 is easily my favourite one because I can connect with a lot of the characters in that game (both the major and minor ones) though it’s not without its flaws too. I’d go into a lot more detail, but I’m currently in the process of writing the script for a Persona 4 analysis so I’ll save the discussion for that video. If persona 3 was remade and a lot of the issues I had with it were cleaned up and rewritten, i think it would really help reach its full potential. I personally think that whatever persona game people consider to be the best one is the game that they can relate to the most. I think Persona 5 is the best made game, but I like persona 4 and some aspects of 3 more than that game because those ones affected me as a person more than 5 did. It would be cool to see what a persona 3 remake would look like and how they’d handle the characters.

[@Lucky-si4ih]

Mitsuru best girl.

[@lucaskincanyon7393]

THAT VELVET ROOM SCENEx AND METIS’ HER SHADOW?!! WHAT??! This is so cool! Oh my gosh.

[@belinskiparadox7687]

It's kind of telling how many people don't care for the answer because I didn't even know it existed as a casual persona fan until I stumbled across this video

[@Miyakolover]

Or people are just sheep that follow whatever's trendy...and whining about The Answer was quite the trend back then.

[@imjustagirlnotathreat2289]

I've watched a lot of analysis about P3 but no one's ever touched on why is death the final boss when the whole theme of this game's learning how to accept and deal with loss and become stronger because of it supposedly. Am i the only one seeing the contradiction in the very concept or am i missing something? If going against death is metaphor for how to accept and deal with it then i think they should've handled it differently, by not making the characters literally go against it for example because in the end the result is them refusing to accept death and all they accomplish is just delay the inevitable and if that isn't the definition of futile and meaningless and the total opposite of what the game's been trying to preach from the beginning then i don't know what is. And then the whole Chidori coming back to life thing only reinforces my idea that the writers didn't really think this through, ending up giving people mixed messages and naturally leaving them thinking so what was the point of all this talk about accepting death throughout the game? And then they did it again in The Answer. What am i supposed to think: that it was their plan all along to make everything meaningless, a typical case of all talk and no substance, or did they genuinely lack vision to such a degree? Whichever the case is, it's undeniable that they make characters' beliefs and entire events contradict each other at some points.

[@NamsCompendium]

I certainly see where you're coming from, so I'll give my take on what SEES going against Nyx means. I believe that it's less "We're going to deny our fate and fight for the right to live on!" and more "We're going to die no matter what we do, so we may as well go out in our way" They went up to fight Nyx knowing full well that they were most likely going to die. Sure, they were saying that they were going to win, but I personally took that more as building moral before the fall. The point is that they didn't fear death anymore and were still willing to fight for what they believe in until the end. The members of SEES didn't want to lose their memories because the death of their loved ones is what defined them as people and was the main catalyst to their growth (quality of those character arcs aside) Chidori coming back to life and Shinji not dying in P3P is terrible and I have no idea why they thought that was suitable for this type of story, I very much agree with what you're saying there. A lot of the additions to Persona 3 rereleases has certainly muddied the game's themes and I feel as though a lot of people in charge of the new story additions forgot what Persona 3 was even about.

[@imjustagirlnotathreat2289]

@@NamsCompendium okay I guess it makes sense then if I see it more that way. Fighting death for the memories of loved ones is an honorable reason for sure. At least this reason doesn't make me angry lol I guess the writers felt kinda bad for how sad those two characters' stories were and that's why they did it lol but having consistency and conviction of the message you're trying to send is def more important.

[@GiordanDiodato]

@@NamsCompendium probably because the FeMC part is actually a different universe where the P3 main protagonist is, well, a girl. It's certainly possible that in that universe, she saves Shinjiro. I think it's more explained in Q2, but I can't really say as I haven't even touched it.

[@chestertamayo1894]

@@GiordanDiodato it is quite explained when the two MCs meet that they feel familiar to each other, like they are two sides of the same coin. "I am you, and You are me" the two MC are literally parallels and opposites of each other.

[@PinClockFuntime]

they never outright say he could come back to life, just that he would be freed from the seal. Physically speaking, he's 6 feet under. It's more of a soul thing than a literal return to life.

[@polarityplus]

Not sure if someone has already suggested but I would recommend watching the Elizabeth story from the game Persona 4 Arena. It delivers an amazing epilogue to P3 without retconing the ending

[@kikren]

I took them wanting to change peoples hearts as them wanting to fulfill his wish, the same way Akihiko did with Shinji, or Yukari did with her dad in the main story. Losing the protag hurt all of them and they pushed each other away, the answer is them learning more about each other and realizing how much they mean to one another. Even if nothing would have changed if Yukari went back in time, isnt more moments with loved ones something that everyone wishes for? And do you think if Mitsuru had the option to go back in time to save her dad that shed say no?

[@Pixel_Rocket23]

"Hopefully in the future it stays that way" *Persona 4 arena confirming The Answer to be canon* Welp,.....oof on that one.

[@duba9018]

For every step forward each character takes they take 2 steps back. Except yukari she took 20 steps back

[@psl6145]

And then 20 steps forward again. Character development isn't an irreversible, permanent thing. People can lapse back into toxic states of mind and recover from them just the same. What Yukari went through is almost in every way more traumatic than what she's already been through, so to expect her to maintain some sort of steely, heroic resolve after she's told she might be able to bring back her dead friend is stupid and unrealistic in and of itself. Besides, her journey almost parallels the five stages of grief to a tee, so I'd hardly even call it unnecessary, especially not when she learns from it and becomes a better person _right fucking after._

[@thejonbrownshow8470]

I agree with your sentiments of the answer, I just think that one way or another, aside from fixing up yukari's image, they should of just make a definitive "answer" on if they could bring back minato(personally I'm against it, but I'm even more so against them not fully answering that, kinda like the ending of the empire strikes back, like I just wished they gave a concrete "no" and if they get really cold feet, they could have joker "looking cool" to save him way later down the line)

[@comiccams3044]

Someone should tell Elizabeth that so she can come home already, she's still looking for 'The Answer' to freeing him too after all.

[@kirabook]

Hm, I don't exactly interpret it as Minato/Makoto being able to comeback to life. After all, his physical body is dead. I think his soul would be freed and maybe he can finally rest in peace. Or maybe he's reborn and knows nothing/remembers nothing of his past self. That's about it. But the Minato/Makoto we played in the original FES I think is gone for good. If ATLUS really wanted to just resurrect him as he was, they wouldn't keep making excuses on why he's alive again for all their spin offs. "Oh this is before the final battle. Oh, this is an alternate timeline. Oh technically that hasn't happened yet so don't question it."

[@thequincy_]

I agree with overall everything you stated. The music is incredible. I understand you dislike the ending of The Answer because essentially what was being said is that if the world changes for the better, Makoto will come back. But I honestly believe that logically makes sense. I believe that SHOULD happen. Of course, it won't because humans are incredibly emotional creatures but that is the point I believe. The fact that the the masses will never change, solidifies the fact that Makoto will never return. So in my eyes that doesn't bother me. I honestly don't want to dislike Yukari. I think she is a very human character. Even though her decision is fairly ignorant in The Answer, it definitely is realistic. I heavily disliked Yukari's attitude and overall the way she acted in The Journey and ESPECIALLY The Answer. Despite Makoto being her love interest, she treats his death as if it is nothing. As if everything they been through was nothing. It was incredibly selfish and infuriating. Now about the gameplay/the Abyss of Time, it is absolutely abysmal, terrible. By far the worst dungeon out of any dungeon in Persona. I also find Tartarus to be the worst as well, but that is a topic for another day.

[@littlea420]

I agree with u all the way 👍👍

[@Supreme-King]

I mean I never thought Minato could come back to like. Minato's body is dead and buried, the best that could happen is let his soul pass on. In Persona 3's original ending Minato passes on content, knowing that in his last moments he had his friends close to him, in "The Answer" on the other hand he's getting eternal tournament and there's nothing anyone can do about it because humanity is shitty. Atlus somehow made an ending where a kid dies on a rooftop surrounded by his friends look happy in comparison to their way of keeping him "alive".

[@ajflink]

That animation before Minato fights is so cool. However, I cannot help but think of Code MENT: "So, you're going to shoot me, huh? Good luck doing that when I am already dead!"

[@R15Sammy]

This video honestly makes me appreciate Royal WAY more. The fact that Atlus was willing to delve deeper into the themes of Persona 5 and what it really means for humanity (rather than undermining it like they did in FES) says to me that they are starting to branch out of their comfort zone.

[@noobmixups9102]

The answer were harder than the journey because on the answer the difficulty were on hard by default. So there are many shadows type on one battle

[@dragonheart1236]

Also, the bosses flatout knew what your weaknesses were

[@ForrestFox626]

It's still a hassle

[@judetheteenycatvaliproto1485]

Also fun fact Elizabeth left the velvet room is to find a way to save Minato and can beat/hold back the final boss of the answer

[@dylansurendranath3091]

Ngl the thumbnail almost made me think this was a Cosmonaut video...

[@jar6264]

Thanks youtube This really helped me where to find a fucking ebony dagger, very cool, this is definitely skyrim youtube search bar, very accurate

[@ForgedinPrint]

Sorry for the long post, I just kind of rambled on for a bit, but here's my thoughts on it: Ok, I do have one an alternate view on some of this stuff (great video, will sub). His death is a little different from Chidori for 2 reasons. 1: In order for "him" to come back to life the team have to pull off basically the impossible. It is technically possible but they are asking basically to end world hunger, wars, medical depression, and anything else that can cause a reason to desire death. Before anyone says p4 arena ultimax does not have Elizabeth reviving Minato, just that she's on a journey to my knowledge (and we only see the successful journeys, so we don't know the rate of success.). 2: Chidori was put in because of people wanting her to live on, while this seemed to focus more on explaining what happened with Minato as people were confused. I did like the answer although it was a step down from the original game. Btw the "fixing society" stuff was to my knowledge (haven't had the time to try the original smt yet so know next to nothing there) was only done with persona 5. They were optimistic because they had done the impossible before, so they think they can do it again. Proof that they weren't as successful as they had hoped is look at p4 arena, where as far as I know they basically gave up on that (unless it was them hunting shadows down.). Do I think it was a smart decision, overall no. I do think that it didn't completely kill the final part of p3 though as a:we didn't see his arrival and b: it's a task that would be overwhelming even for this group. Yukari was emotionally driven, and in these kinds of situation emotions can and will override intelligence sometimes. There are also pacts which surpass anything else, for example chewbacca and Han from star wars back when it was good. This may be why Mitsuru joined in with Yukari in this chaos. For why Junpei, Ken, Koromaru and Akihiko didn't join together vs the other two is Junpei did have a different point of view from Akihiko as to why(referring to team leaders as the team from here). Aki didn't want to because of honor, Junpei because of the risk. Aigis wanted more info before a decision was made. Yukari was overwhelmed with feelings (Mitsuru honoring her pact with Yukari). For the last bit of them kind of reverting back to how they were before, it's simple really. Minato was the reason they got to that point, and the thought process behind the lessons he taught could be temporarily discarded for one reason or another. For example Yukari learning to not be alone, then finally feels the pain of losing someone she loved, which is jarring for her. For Fuuka maybe she didn't have the time to realize he didn't have to be involved to have that confidence. Mitsuru lost the only connection she had to learning to work with emotions as much as logic. Aigis gets hit worst of all since her whole reason for developing emotions at all was him. Aigis of course didn't understand pain that well so she ended up casting it off for her protection, which literally reverts her. The guys didn't really change all that much from what I remember. Sorry for the rambling but just wanted to point this out there. I do agree there wasn't much in the way of content, and I did end up using a cheat (had an emulator at the time I played, I did purchase it on the ps4 but like pc versions better) to level up faster than I should have. However while it's entirely possible that the answer did fan service by showing their past it was also there to remind them why they started fighting in the first place. This then helps them come to terms. Personally I would have gone with moments that made them close to Minato but I see where they were going with that. This is what I think and sorry for the long drawn out comment, this series and personally this game, had kept me going in some of my darkest days and actually taught me that I don't have to work alone. It's been a long road but I think I've gone far thanks to this series.

[@panfriedsock]

5:08 this is just mid/late-game Tartarus though? "It's almost like the characters had to regress in character development to make this work" Yeah that's the entire point of a story about getting over the grief of the death of a person that got you out of that initial hole

[@unbubbletea]

Really? I didn't think the bosses in The Answer were that hard. Most of them can be solved by the "Knock Down" tactic. I also used Assign Target/Same Target for a couple of them. But yeah, The Answer has an awful story. I also hate how they took away weapon fusion. I don't care if the protag was the only one who could wield all weapon types (except guns and knives). It still would've been useful for everyone else.

[@averyaustin1]

You get to play as best girl, that’s the best part for me.

[@sakuucchan]

man this really reminds me of what happened to code geass with lelouch of the resurrection,,, the mere concept of bringing back the dead when the death was for a purpose just ruins the stakes and everything working towards it.

[@amimm7776]

About the gameplay, I'm currently playing through the answer for the first time and... it's really not that bad, here's some tips: For some god forsaken reason Junpei, Koromaru and Mitsuru have way more stats than everyone else on average, I'm not sure if it evens out by the end, but right now they all seem to have like an 8+ point advantage on every stat so for a good while you can have one or two of the in your team to even the odds a bit (I'm just using yukari as an exception to heal). Dodge skills increase evasion but not guarantee a dodge, sukukaja and sukunda are your best friends which I really like since I've neglected them in almost every smt I've played save for small exceptions, also consider characters and personas with high agility, which is where the three "boosted" characters (especially the already agile Koromaru) really shine. Overall, as someone that really liked the flow of tartarus exploration in persona 3 and likes story light rpgs, I've been enjoying the answer far more than the journey on the gameplay end since it really squeezes out some cool stuff from P3's mechanics.

[@yeetyeet6337]

I 100% agree with you on the plot side of things i mean i view persona 3 the journey part as saying to us that death is inevitable and everyone will experience it someday but the answer just stomps it eats it and then poop it out by saying that theres a way to prevent death, a way to bring people back to life it just ruins makoto's sacrifice to save humanity.persona 3 had a good maybe even great ending,but the answer leaves a bad aftertaste to the game

[@ricardogianella]

Terrible writing, tedious grinding, and stupid AI. oh!, and dont forget stupid-bitch mode Yukari.

[@doorto6152]

I really respect where the Answer is trying to go thematically. The Journey is about accepting death, mortality, and life. The answer is about SEES overcoming grief and moving on from this point in their lives. Speaking as someone who’s been through depression, I find the metaphor of being trapped in a time loop and having the decision to go back or move forward extremely powerful. Survivor’s guilt and wanting a do-over is basically the bargaining phase of grief. And, on paper, Mitsuru standing with yukari is extremely powerful. Personally, I find the beginning of the Answer very powerful. Particularly the line about Junpei being a cranky old man. He was extremely mature in that scene, and I hate how future installments have regressed on that. If the answer had another draft, I think it could’ve been great from start to finish.

[@minakohiashi8882]

Elizabeth main Goal in the fighting game is also to bring back Minato. I predict that he's either going to come back in a fighting game or a Persona 5 related spinoff

[@Auriferose323]

Thank you for bringing more awareness to how badly The Answer meddles with the original themes of The Journey.