16 | Makoto Yuki

Also known as Leader Tatsuya (username in the English version) N-Jima (username in the Japanese version) Boss (sarcastically by Junpei) Minato Arisato (Manga) Makoto Yūki (Movie, P3D, P3P, P3RE, P5X) Sakuya Shiomi (P3WM Play) Kanata Shiomi (P3L Play) The Blue-Haired Boy (P4, P4A) Boy with Earphones (PQ) S.E.E.S. Boy (P5R) Mr. Perfect (by Yukari) Affiliation SEES School Gekkoukan High School Date of Birth c. 1992-c. early 1993 Age 16-17 Height 170 cm Weapon All except Guns and Knives (P3/FES) One-Handed Swords (P3P/P3M/P3RE) Arcana Fool, Death, Judgement, Universe Persona Orpheus, Thanatos, Messiah, Orpheus Telos, Wild Card Appearances: Makoto Yuki has dark blue hair, unkempt at the front with bangs covering his right eye, blue eyes and a light build, being average height. He is often shown with his hands in his pockets (except when holding weapons), even while running, and leaning slightly back. He frequently listens to his earphones. Shigenori Soejima designed Makoto first and formed designs for other characters around him. He maintains an air of neutrality, keeping with the tradition of the Megami Tensei franchise of the protagonist being typical yet a hero, while still giving off an air of coolness. Earlier designs had him looking mature and collected, based on the trope of "cliche cool guy." At school and in Tartarus, he wears the school uniform of Gekkoukan High, accented with a loose black bow tie, a neck-strap mp3 player (Sony's NW-S20x series) and clip-on earphones (Audio-Technica model ATH-EM700 SV). On weekends off, he is shown wearing a light gray double-breasted jacket, dark pants and a khaki turtleneck sweater, along with his earphones. On days off during the summer, he is shown wearing a navy blue and white T-shirt along with skinny black work pants. He is never seen without his earphones except when on trips in situations where they would be inappropriate, such as being at the beach or hot springs.

Personality: I don't think just getting along and having conversations makes you companions. Then again just gathering for a common goal doesn't seem to do the trick either. In Persona 3, he is a silent protagonist, aside from technically speaking in battle in certain instances. While being a silent protagonist, he is very stoic, reserved and calm, gathered by the fact that he's faced death and his own mortality; he remains unmoved when walking under a green sky and being surrounded by blood pools and coffins everywhere at the beginning of Persona 3 or even when guns are pointed at him (such as by Aigis herself). He appears very introverted, distant and aloof since he only observes the conversations of his party members and only speaks when someone is directed at him for his opinion on the matter. At one point, Yukari Takeba raises her voice at him in frustration, calling him "Mr. Perfect" and saying nothing ever fazes him. She then apologizes for her behavior; he comforts her and she says that he "really is one-of-a-kind." His teacher, Isako Toriumi, comments that he is "kinda quiet, but real mature and intense looking (and hawt)" and that he uses proper grammar and punctuation online. Junpei Iori comments that all he does is wander around and talk to people, referencing what is commonly done during gameplay. The protagonist has been praised for his natural talent, as his involvement and leadership have helped the group where it counts; during the Arcana Priestess mission, upon the emergency of having to stop a moving train, his instincts would help him navigate the controls with ease. This would be remarked on by other members of the group, even making Junpei Iori jealous of him. This is also a byproduct of his perception of life, more specifically from the result of having kept Death itself sealed within him for a majority of his life. Junpei himself would later see the protagonist eye to eye and understand his abilities, saying that he "harnessed [Death's]

power and made it his own."

That helps him support his Social Links when resolving their problems, primarily by having them face their mortality (whether it is their actual or metaphorical death) thanks to his help. The protagonist does so by being supportive of them, as the correct dialogue choices usually involve him agreeing with them directly. Many of his personality traits and reactions to certain situations are ultimately based on the player's actions and decisions. The primary choice has him being enthusiastic, upbeat and kind, engaging with as many Social Links as he can, each one rewarding him with stronger power in Persona fusion and combat. Likewise, the player can make him pessimistic, morbid and lonely, barely engaging with Social Links. In normal conversation, the protagonist's dialogue choices can range from attentive, to unobservant, to outright rude; generally only by being attentive would get a positive response from others. One of the protagonist's most common responses is "I don't care." Even when speaking to Pharos, the protagonist can respond saying that he doesn't care about his friends. These possible combinations of traits provide a wide range of various interpretations of his characterization. The same goes for any possible romantic interests the protagonist may partner with. The protagonist can choose from Yukari, Fuuka, Mitsuru, Aigis, Chihiro, Ms. Toriumi, Yuko and Elizabeth. Hobby and interest-wise, he may enjoy black comedy, evidenced by the "morgue" joke as one of the possible dialog options. He is also open to playing video games such as MMORPGs, and on free days, the protagonist can choose to "spend the entire day online" with the Hermit Social Link. Depending on available choices, he may join a running, swimming or kendo club, implying that he at least tolerates these physical activities, keeping up and never complaining in their associated Social Links. If he joins the music club, he is seen playing the violin.

By the end of the game, as noted by Ryoji Mochizuki, the protagonist has found the answer to "life's greatest question," though the meaning of this statement is left ambiguous. As per the themes of Persona 3 and Aigis' own speech in the final scene, the answer is that simply having someone to protect is what gives one's life purpose. This is represented by the protagonist's resolve against Nyx, choosing to sacrifice himself by sealing it, all thanks to the many bonds he's forged with his friends. In Persona 3 FES: The Answer, it's revealed the protagonist sacrificed his soul to become the Great Seal. Metis speculates the protagonist is content with his fate, and that he wished for the SEES to move on from him and live fulfilling lives. Nobody in the SEES objects with Metis' interpretation, and the Great Seal's statue does depict a smile despite his situation. In Persona Club P3 Book, everyone at school thinks that he's too quiet, something that he himself admits and realizes whenever he is asked something; the only answers he ever comes up with are "Yes," "No" or "Whatever." This led him to sometimes being misunderstood as a particularly mean person.

In the manga adaptation, the protagonist is named Minato Arisato. Much like in the game, he is shown to be calm and passive most of the time, speaks only when addressed and is on particularly good terms mostly with Junpei Iori and Ryoji Mochizuki, just as they are with each other. As a further nod to the activities he can do in the game, Minato is also often seen being drowsy or sleeping, and he has a comically large appetite for food. Throughout the manga, Minato is consistently shown to be more expressive than in the game, though his expression of emotions tends to be restrained. He is remarkably empathetic and considerate, to the point of negatively affecting him at times. When Ryoji claims being killed by Minato's hands would be happiness, Minato is tempted to do so simply because Ryoji might be happy by the act, only stopping himself at the last second. Minato is also remarkably assertive when he needs to be, such as when explaining his reasons not to kill Ryoji and when turning down a confession from Aigis. In the final battle, Minato even sheds tears when fighting Nyx Avatar at the end. In Persona Q, where he is referred to simply as P3 hero by default on StreetPass, he appears to have a combination of traits from all of his iterations up to that point. He is seen as apathetic and blunt, often going straight to the point, but on many occasions shows a gluttonous side due to an unusually high metabolism that lets him eat without gaining much weight. He also shows a calm and quick side to himself during intense situations, such as forming a plan to separate the party into two groups to distract an F.O.E in the Inaba Pride Exhibit. While he comes off as somewhat aloof, he expresses an interest in strengthening his bonds with SEES, at one point pondering that simply being friends doesn't make you companions, but just having a common goal doesn't do the trick either, implying that both may be the solution.

I don't really care. Is dying that scary to you?

In the film series, Makoto Yuki is depicted as being much darker, ambivalent to the point of apathy. According to Noriaki Akitaya, the director of the movie, Makoto's characterization is one of his biggest challenges because his initial personality is decided by the players. This led him to incorporate mainly the most general traits of the protagonist from a fan reaction to form Makoto's character. Severely traumatized by witnessing the deaths of his parents as a child to the point of indifference, he has extremely neutral viewpoints on life and death and is uncaring of either. Without a will to live or a will to die, he once told Yukari that he doesn't care if he dies. Because of his unnerving lack of interest and motivation, he often acts only when told to do so and takes on tasks with little, if any sense of self-preservation. This is the main reason he allied himself with SEES, as he was requested to by Shuji Ikutsuki and had no reason to refuse the offer. It is this apathetic attitude that allows him to fight Shadows so effectively; he battles without concern for his safety and cares little if he is wounded or exhausted by a fight, allowing him to take massive risks and deal immense damage. Despite the fact that Makoto cares little for his own safety, he breaks through his stony and blunt attitude whenever his friends are in danger and even worries for their safety when any of them are put in a life-threatening situation, mainly because the thought of them dying reminds him of his parents' fate. Makoto eventually realizes the importance of lives and the bonds that he has with his friends, but as a result, he becomes more and more hesitant to defeat the Arcana Shadows and end the Dark Hour, fearing that after everything is over, he will return to his lonely and listless existence. As such, he tends to become confused and unfocused during battles against Arcana Shadows.

After defeating all Arcana Shadows and recovering from Ikutsuki's betrayal, Makoto once again distances himself from his friends as he believes they will eventually disappear, remembering Pharos' words before he disappeared: that forming bonds with others would only bring pain, since he would inevitably lose them. However, Makoto slowly opens up again after meeting Ryoji, who was insistent on becoming his friend. But one month later, Makoto became greatly shocked about his new friend's true identity, and the revelation about Nyx's existence and the Fall made him as much as paralyzed by fear as the other SEES members. But then he remembers his mother's last words and Elizabeth's visit makes him realize how everything he experienced during the last year had made him feel truly alive again. By the time of the final battle against Nyx, Makoto's care for his friends had grown so deep that he was even willing to sacrifice himself to save them and the world, leading up to his resolution to become the Great Seal. Before his death, he makes it to the rooftop and meets with Aigis. As he starts to lose consciousness, his friends appear, remembering their promise to meet together on the roof. Having been able to see them one last time, he dies with a smile on his face. It seems that, in addition to Death, fate has also dealt you the wild card. ...You must accept your destiny. Our contract has been fulfilled... I have completed my role as well. ...You were truly a remarkable guest. On April 7th, 2009, the protagonist is first seen departing for the Dorm in Port Island, but arrives late at midnight due to the successful suicide of a young man who flung himself onto the train tracks. During the walk to the dorm, he experiences the Dark Hour and is confused upon the sudden change of the surroundings and the sudden halt of his earphones functioning; though he takes the hour in stride, seemingly unaffected.

Upon reaching the dorm, he encounters a mysterious boy, who promptly gives him a contract to sign, providing players the opportunity to name him.

The protagonist transfers to Gekkoukan High School the next day. His invitation to study as a transfer student is later revealed that due to his capability to adapt to the Dark Hour, he was moved to the co-ed dorm so his potential can be monitored. During a full moon the next night, one of the Shadows attacks, causing the protagonist to awaken his initial Persona, Orpheus, using an Evoker. The protagonist has minimal difficulty using the Evoker because he is not afraid of death. The summoning sequence, however, was interrupted as Thanatos bursts forth from Orpheus' head, tearing apart Orpheus and slaying the Shadows. After dispatching the remaining Shadows, the protagonist fainted and was taken to the hospital where he is hospitalized for a week in a coma. While unconscious, he awakens in the Velvet Room, where he learns about his abilities. After recovering from his short coma, the protagonist later learns about the nature of the Shadows and the existence of SEES, and eventually joins SEES. The protagonist is the only character throughout the game with access to the Wild Card ability. The protagonist's past is later revealed after Aigis' memories are restored. In the year 1999, when Death escaped the Kirijo Group, Aigis was dispatched and was in hot pursuit of the Shadow. It is during Aigis' confrontation with Death, during the Dark Hour, that the protagonist's parents died in a burning car crash. Presumably, the protagonist survived due to his potential, allowing him to be active during the Dark Hour. Aigis, knowing that she could not defeat Death, sealed a portion of Death inside the protagonist, thus amplifying the protagonist's capabilities of summoning multiple Personas.

On December 31, Ryoji asks for SEES to make their decision and invites himself into the protagonist's room and sits on his bed. Killing Ryoji would result in erasing the memories of the Dark Hour (the cause of all their pain and suffering), allowing the members of SEES to live their lives as normal high-school students until the arrival of Nyx on the promised day. In an attempt to persuade the protagonist to kill him, Ryoji transforms into his true form as Thanatos, bringer of death. Should the protagonist accept his offer, the SEES members will live on as normal without any memories of the Dark Hour and the Fall and will live on until Nyx appears and annihilates humanity, in which the protagonist and his friends spend their last hours singing karaoke. Making the appropriate decision of declining Ryoji's offer to kill him results in him providing the members of SEES with useful information regarding a confrontation with Nyx and also secures the normal ending. When Ryoji leaves, he tells them to "look forward to the next year," presumably indicating that he, himself, hopes that they can put a stop to Nyx, as well. Ryoji is now reported to transfer to another school and vanishes, ready to bring forth the Fall as the Nyx Avatar. In SEES' final confrontation with Nyx, specifically Nyx Avatar, the bonds he has forged with SEES and his other friends give him the power to fight the sorrow, depression and apathy of humankind, which were what drew Nyx to Earth, by letting him create the final arcana, the Universe Arcana with the help of Igor. With the power of the Universe, and the cheering of his comrades he ascends to Nyx' true body, the moon, to combat Nyx itself in a one-on-one battle. After being downed and uplifted multiple times by the SEES members' prayers and Nyx's attacks, he eventually reaches his full potential and performs the Great Seal to miraculously seal Nyx, preventing the Fall.

After the battle, Ryoji's voice is heard congratulating SEES. Ryoji claims that the protagonist has "found the answer to life's greatest question." As the Dark Hour and Tartarus disappear, the protagonist is seen returning with a faint smile.

The protagonist clings to life for just over a month after fighting Nyx. He, unlike the others, retains his memories regarding the Dark Hour and Nyx in order to keep the promise he made to meet his friends on Graduation Day. After saying goodbye to everyone and all of his Social Links around the school and city, once his oath is fulfilled, he "falls asleep" in Aigis' lap on the roof of the school, smiling peacefully in the warm sunset surrounded by windmills. Aigis swears that she will live her life protecting him, unaware that he is dying at that very moment. The P3 hero and his teammates are transferred into an alternate reality of Yasogami High School where they meet with two people, Rei and Zen. They later meet the Investigation Team in the labyrinth You in Wonderland and decide to join forces to defeat the guardians and dissolve the world so they can return to their home. The P3 hero along with the rest of SEES were exploring Tartarus one day, but suddenly, the floor collapsed with the only exit being the roof of the staircase. He also accidentally dropped his Evoker at the entrance of the movie world, leaving him unable to summon his Persona. In the labyrinth A.I.G.I.S, the Persona 3 cast states that their leader was missing and was somewhere in the labyrinth. In reality, he and Aigis were captured by the Overseer and were on their way to escaping the research lab. He is later found defending Aigis from a legion of KNS-1000 who tracked the duo down and cornered them, in which Aigis ran out of power after overheating due to activating Orgia mode to destroy the drones. Since he did not have his Evoker with him, he was unable to summon his Persona and it left the two severely outnumbered and overwhelmed. The protagonist, going by the name "Makoto Yuki," appears as a playable character in the spin-off, Dancing In Moonlight, which is set during an unknown period in Persona 3. It is implied that this period is just before October 4th, but it is not confirmed.

Yuki has two themes in this game "Brand New Days (Yuyoyuppe Remix)," a remix of the ending theme of Persona 3 FES: The Answer, and "Mass Destruction," a merger between the main battle theme of Persona 3 and the rearranged variant of The Answer. "Brand New Days" is most likely a reference to his fate and "Mass Destruction" was more than likely chosen as all protagonists dance to a battle theme.

When dancing with partners, he is normally the center of attention, most likely having others sync up with him. When dancing with most female party members he takes their hand, however with men he dances in his own bubble. But when dancing with Junpei they always end with a high-five. Unlike the protagonist seen in Persona 3, Yuki of Dancing in Moonlight is very animated, as he is most often seen break dancing, doing spins, or doing cartwheels. He is also seen smiling a lot. The protagonist is a DLC boss as part of the Challenge Battle mode in the Velvet Room. He can be fought on two different difficulties, Level 50 and Level ???, and his strategies will slightly vary depending on which level he is fought at. His roster of Personas consists of Orpheus, Attis, Thanatos, Siegfried and Messiah.