Persona 5 spinoff adding Persona 3 Reload’s most requested feature
Atlus has announced a collaboration between Persona 5: The Phantom X and Persona 3 Portable that will finally bring the original game’s female protagonist to a modern Persona title. The character, Kotone Shiomi, was notably absent from Persona 3 Reload, the 2024 remake of the original 2006 RPG. Instead of appearing in that remake, she will be featured in the mobile gacha game Persona 5: The Phantom X, which launched in June 2025.
The collaboration was officially announced through the game’s official channels on Thursday, though details remain scarce. Atlus has not yet revealed when Kotone will be available, how long the collaboration will last, or what specific content or mechanics she will bring to the mobile title. The announcement essentially confirmed the collaboration is happening without elaborating on implementation details.
Persona 3 Portable was originally notable for introducing a female protagonist option alongside the traditional male character. Fans had expressed disappointment that this character was excluded from Persona 3 Reload, which was otherwise praised as a comprehensive remake of the original game. The announcement of her appearance in Persona 5: The Phantom X represents a compromise—bringing the long-requested character to the modern Persona ecosystem, though in a different game than many fans anticipated. Persona 5: The Phantom X is set in the same universe as the extended Persona 5 franchise.