Makoto Yuki

Makoto Yuki is the protagonist of Persona 3 and the third in the Persona series. In Persona 3 Portable, he has a female counterpart known as Kotone Shiomi.

He is a student at Gekkoukan High School who moves to Port Island City in his second year in high school. When he first arrives, after 12 AM, he notices that time seems to stop, and people turn into coffins. Unphased by this, he enters his new dorms and meets Yukari Takeba and Mitsuru Kirijo. After enrolling at school, Takeba and Kirijo inform him that he has the potential to be a Persona User, and they are a group called SEES who exists to take down evil creatures known as Shadows. Yuki is introduced to the Dark Hour, a hidden 13th hour to the day where Shadows run rampant, and Tartarus, the malformed version of Gekkoukan High during the Dark Hour which exists as a nest for Shadows. As the year goes on, Makoto and the other members of SEES defeat several Shadows every full moon and climb further floors of Tartarus, only to discover that the Dark Hour, Tartarus, and Shadows, are all creations of the Goddess of Night, Nyx. It is revealed that Shadows were being experimented on by Mitsuru's father some time ago, but the experiment went awry, and 13 Shadows were split from one. SEES has spent a year tracking down and defeating 12 of those Shadows in vain, as defeating them would bring them together to form the final Shadow, Death. With the year drawing to a close, SEES is forced to climb to the top of Tartarus to confront the embodiment of death herself, or else the entire world will fall into eternal night. Makoto battles against Nyx atop Tartarus with his allies, and in a last-ditch effort, he uses up his own life energy to destroy her, saving the world at the cost of his life.

He is a Persona-User who awakens the Persona Orpheus after being attacked by Shadows, which later evolves into Messiah once Makoto maxes out every Social Link.

Appearance
The protagonist has dark blue hair unkempt at the front, blue eyes and a light build, being shorter than average. His bangs cover his right eye. He is often shown with his hands in his pockets (except when holding weapons), leaning slightly back. He frequently listens to his earphones. Shigenori Soejima designed the protagonist first and formed designs for other characters around him. He maintains an air of neutrality, keeping with the supposed tradition of the Megami Tensei franchise that the player is the hero, while giving off an air of coolness. Earlier designs had him looking mature and collected, based on the trope of "cliche cool guy."

Occasional Appearances
As a child, Makoto wore shorts and a blue two-piece suit.

In his introductory scene, and during the Winter, Makoto wears a grey trench coat.

During the Summer, Makoto wears a white t-shirt with blue sleeves and cargo pants.

His Gekkoukan gym clothes are a gray and red track suit that he wears unzipped.

His Shadow self appears in The Answer as a monochromatic version of himself with white eyes.

Persona 3: The Journey
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 one 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 was 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.

Persona 3: The Answer
In the playable epilogue of Persona 3 FES, it is revealed that the protagonist died the day after his sleep, leading to the members of SEES' confusion regarding his cause of death, as the doctor cannot find any unusual symptoms before his death, leading to speculation that it was some acute case of severe exhaustion. After the defeat of Nyx and the death of the protagonist, Aigis was the one who kept his Evoker, upon witnessing the Abyss of Time, the remaining members of SEES encounter a recurring silhouette resembling the protagonist. However, whenever they come into contact, the silhouette flees.

"This is the reason for everything... From the Abyss of Time's failure to disappear, to the presence of Shadows... This... was born from all of you."

—Metis

It is not until venturing into the deepest area of the Abyss of Time (Empyrean) that the silhouette is revealed to be a shadow resembling the protagonist's appearance. It manifests through the negative emotion and urge of seeing the protagonist one more time deep within the members of SEES. Making its entrance, the shadow challenges SEES, copying their Personas (all of which are colored with a grayish tint) except Psyche and Juno, retaining the Wild Card ability, and several attacks of the protagonist. After its defeat, the shadow dissolves into "letters," forging unknown words and butterflies.

The "real" protagonist is later seen in the past, where he seals Nyx. In order to seal Nyx, the protagonist sacrificed his life to become the Great Seal. He was, however, capable of retaining his consciousness long enough to fulfill his oath between the members of SEES to meet again on Graduation Day. The protagonist is shown as a statue, crucified and bound to the door between Nyx and humanity. It is later revealed that Nyx was only awakened because Erebus, a grand being manifested from humanity's grief and negative emotions, was reaching out to Nyx to bring the Fall. The protagonist wasn't trying to seal Nyx, he was acting as a barrier between Nyx and Erebus. After defeating Erebus and realizing the protagonist's purpose, the remaining members of SEES swore to help him bear the burden by making the most out of their own lives.

Persona 4
The protagonist is briefly mentioned in Persona 4 in a conversation between the protagonist of Persona 4 and Margaret, after her defeat as an optional boss in Heaven. Margaret states that her sister, Elizabeth, left her position as Igor's assistant to find a way to free "The Blue-Haired" boy from the seal.

Persona 4 Arena
He is mentioned in Persona 4 Arena by the returning Persona 3 characters, as Yu Narukami reminds them of him due to not only his Wild Card ability, but also due to his understanding of the bonds with people.

Personality
In Persona 3, the protagonist 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 remains unmoved even when guns are pointed at him, as well as walking under a green sky and being surrounded by blood pools and coffins everywhere at the beginning of Persona 3. 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 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.

Powers and Abilities
Makoto is a Persona User, meaning he is able to draw on the powers of his inner self to summon Demons that represent inner parts of his soul. A unique property that Makoto has is the power of the Wild Card, meaning that he is not restricted to using only one Persona based on their Arcana. Tatsuya is, in turn, able to switch Personas at will.

Orpheus
Orpheus is a Lv 1 Fool Persona, and is the initial Persona of the protagonist. He makes his first appearance during the protagonist's attempt at summoning a Persona via the Evoker to fend off the looming Shadows. During Orpheus' initial summoning, Death (whose appearance is identical to Thanatos) bursts forth from Orpheus' head, ripping him apart in the process. Death violently destroys the Arcana Magician before reverting to Orpheus, who then becomes accessible to the protagonist.

Orpheus' grotesque introduction signifies the fate he suffered long ago. According to mythology, he was ripped apart by Maenads for not honoring Dionysus, leaving only his head untouched. This is the reason why his body is entirely mechanical and why his voice is processed through a speaker embedded in his "stomach."

Should Orpheus' appearance be compared to the protagonist, they have the same face. His lyre's shape resembles the chair the protagonist sits on when entering the Velvet Room.

Orpheus Telos
Orpheus Telos can only be obtained by maxing out every single Social Link in one playthrough. Once the protagonist has completed all of the prerequisites, Igor will award the protagonist the Cipher's Mask AKA the Colorless Mask in the Velvet Room, allowing him to summon Orpheus Telos from the sea of the soul.

In the events of creating Orpheus Telos, Orpheus Telos of the Fool Arcana truly stands for nothingness, undefined and having limitless possibilities, as Orpheus Telos has only one skill, Victory Cry, a passive skill which completely restores HP and SP at the end of each battle. The rest of Orpheus Telos' skills can only be acquired via the predecessor Personas used to fuse him.

Orpheus Telos is normally created via hexagon fusion, but there are also several triangle fusions that will result in him (most involving either Messiah or Thanatos). In such cases, he will only inherit up to five skills, depending on how many the predecessor Personas know.

Thanatos
Thanatos is the ultimate Persona of the Death Arcana in Persona 3. It first appears near the beginning of the game, when the protagonist first attempts to summon Orpheus. Thanatos emerges from Orpheus' head, ripping Orpheus apart and mercilessly slicing apart the Arcana Magician looming ahead. Later, the protagonist can gain access to Thanatos after the Social Link with Pharos is completed.

Thanatos' fusion prerequisite requires all the other Personas of the Death Arcana, namely Loa, Pale Rider, Samael, Mot and Alice to perform a pentagon-spread fusion in the Velvet Room. Thanatos also grants the equipment Ring of Darkness, which repels Darkness-based attacks, as his Heart Item.

Ryoji Mochizuki's true form as Death looks identical to Thanatos, seeing that Thanatos can be the manifestation of Ryoji's friendship with the protagonist during his form as Pharos.

Messiah
Messiah is the highest-level Persona in Persona 3. It is the final Persona of the Judgement Arcana, which can only be accessed by venturing to the final level of Tartarus. Messiah can only be obtained by fusing Orpheus and Thanatos in the Velvet Room once the protagonist reaches Lv. 90 or above.

During the ending credits, Messiah can be seen inside the protagonist's silhouette, indicating that Messiah is his "true" ultimate Persona (which is also an allusion to the protagonist's role to the story). Also telling is that Messiah is formed by fusing Orpheus, the protagonist's base persona, with Thanatos; which is Ryoji's true form.

Appearances

 * Persona 3
 * Persona 3 FES
 * Persona 3 Portable
 * Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight
 * Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
 * Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
 * Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight; DLC partner
 * Persona 5 Royal; DLC Boss Fight

Trivia

 * The protagonist's death at the end of the game is foreshadowed with the "memento mori: remember that you are mortal, remember you will die" message in the intro.
 * The protagonist never speaks for the most part, only occasionally mentioning the name of the equipped Persona when gearing up for a powerful attack. Arming him with a bow will have him shouting "Come forth!" or "Persona!" when summoning. Even though this variation does not occur in the JP version, equipping him with other weapon types will make him intone differently.
 * The music played on the protagonist's MP3 player appears to be a remixed version of Burn My Dread. The same remix is also used again as background music in the very last battle of the game.
 * At the beginning of the scene Awakening (first Persona summon), one can carefully see that the protagonist is wearing the SEES armband even though he didn't join SEES yet, of course in later parts of the scene the armband doesn't show. A similar goof occurs on 7/11 - when Mitsuru gathers the group in the dorm and talks about the Kirijo Group, they are wearing their winter uniforms instead of their summer uniforms.
 * He is the only character, other than his female counterpart, known to use the "The Universe Arcana."
 * The protagonist likely symbolizes the Jesus of Nazareth, as he only has a limited amount of time to live before he becomes crucified on the Great Seal to save all life and humanity from death.
 * He is the shortest male protagonist to date, standing at 5'7".