History Fridge / Persona3

* In Yukari's Rank 9 (and in ''Reload'', if you choose to romance her as opposed to friendzoning her), Yukari admits that she gets jealous whenever you talk to Fuuka (or depending on the version, wonders what you talk about with her), much to her distress. This line appears regardless of whether you open Fuuka's Social Link or not. While this seems odd to point out Fuuka specifically, the game does mention that you talk to Fuuka in order to go to Tartarus, something that you have to do on a regular basis and something you do well before you meet the requirements to open her Social Link.

* In Yukari's Rank 9 (and in ''Reload'', if you choose to romance her), Yukari admits that she gets jealous whenever you talk to Fuuka, much to her chagrin. This line appears regardless of whether you open Fuuka's Social Link or not. While this seems odd to point out Fuuka specifically, the game does mention that you talk to Fuuka in order to go to Tartarus, something that you have to do on a regular basis and something you do well before you meet the requirements to open her Social Link. And like the other residents of the dorm, you can engage in small talk with her besides wanting to go to Tartarus, with a non-zero chance of Yukari being somewhere where she can see.

* In Yukari's Rank 9 (and in Reload, if you choose to romance her), Yukari admits that she gets jealous whenever you talk to Fuuka. This dialogue appears regardless of whether you open Fuuka's Social Link or not. While this seems odd to point out Fuuka specifically, the game does mention that you talk to Fuuka in order to go to Tartarus, something that you have to do on a regular basis and something you do well before you meet the requirements to open her Social Link. And like the other residents of the dorm, you can engage in small talk with her besides wanting to go to Tartarus, with a non-zero chance of Yukari being somewhere where she can see.

* In Yukari's Rank 9 (and in Reload, if you choose to romance her), Yukari admits that she gets jealous whenever you talk to Fuuka, much to her chagrin. This dialogue appears regardless of whether you open Fuuka's Social Link or not. While this seems odd to point out Fuuka specifically, the game does mention that you talk to Fuuka in order to go to Tartarus, something that you have to do on a regular basis and something you do well before you meet the requirements to open her Social Link. And like the other residents of the dorm, you can engage in small talk with her besides going to Tartarus, with a non-zero chance of Yukari being somewhere where she can see.

* In Yukari's Rank 9 (and in Reload, if you choose to romance her), Yukari admits that she gets jealous whenever you talk to Fuuka. This dialogue appears regardless of whether you open Fuuka's Social Link or not. While this seems odd to point out Fuuka specifically, the game does mention that you talk to Fuuka in order to go to Tartarus, something that you have to do on a regular basis and something you do well before you meet the requirements to open her Social Link. And like the other residents of the dorm, you can engage in small talk with her besides going to Tartarus, with a non-zero chance of Yukari being somewhere where she can see, but not quite ''hear''.

* In Yukari's Rank 9 (and in Reload, if you choose to romance her), Yukari mentions that she gets jealous whenever you talk to Fuuka. This dialogue appears regardless of whether you open Fuuka's Social Link or not. While this seems like an inconsistency, the game does mention that you talk to Fuuka in order to go to Tartarus, something that you have to do on a regular basis and long before you meet the requirements to open her Social Link.

* Think carefully about Ryoji being "inside you". March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November. That's nine months. Congrats, you are the parent of the end of the world! This also puts [[ParentalIncest disturbing consequences]] on a romantic link with the female protagonist]].

** The same could be true for Koromaru. Imagine if [[{{Tearjerker}} history repeats and he decides to stay at the dorm, waiting for them]].

** Shinjiro was traumatised by Castor going berserk on a stranger. Now imagine the impact if that happened to someone he's close to, like Akihiko or Ken..m

* The arcanum of The World (The Universe in some decks) represents fulfillment, oneness, self-realization. Meanwhile, the Arcanum of Death isn't "death" but changes and cycles (hence why the NewGamePlus after the Protagonist has died is called "New Cycle.") Now take Apathy Syndrome: it's the total loss of ''self''. You're nothing but a moaning body, devoid of personality. And Nyx's effect on Earth would have been to inflict this on everyone --rather than outright "killing" all life on Earth, Nyx ONLY takes your ''self'' away [[note]]yes, your mindless body would've died eventually, but that's beside the point[[/note]]. The ''Persona'' series is about expressing various facets of your personality. The Arcana represent states of consciousness, some benign, some negative, but a consciousness nonetheless. By establishing Social Links, you can amass all your experiences with these Arcana (yes, even Death) and become a fully-realized human being --The World. The World that is beyond Death, The World that overcomes fear of change, The World that is above (lowercase) death because death is no longer fearsome. The World that has seen The Judgement. The World that ''embraces'' change. ''The World is the absolute opposite to Apathy Syndrome, nothingness; that is, it is opposite to Nyx itself.'' And Nyx, summoned by those who fear life and reject themselves, has no power over one who has achieved The World. In turn, the Protagonist has completed their (and The Fool's) Journey, they have found The Answer to their own existence, and they willingly accepts their own death in order to surpass the nothingness of Nyx. And that is why they become the Great Seal between Nyx and Erebus: it is NOT AndIMustScream or a FateWorseThanDeath: for the Protagonist, becoming the invincible (Erebus can't touch him) barrier between death and despair is the ultimate expression of personal realization. He/She is basically saying, "Yes, death exists, but it is only an end that gives way to a new beginning. You don't need to fear it, because I will take away the darkness and despair from you forever." Now, depending on your interpretation, it might be that he/she doesn't ''have'' to be the Great Seal, but maybe he/she ''wants'' to. The Protagonist always strove to help others and to protect them. They were also deeply at peace in their last day on Earth, having helped a multitude of people become better persons. What better reward for their ultimate sacrifice than to allow him/her to become the last, greatest guardian of humanity? Of course, one is free to disagree with this last bit, but it could also make the BittersweetEnding a lot less Bitter.

* Shinjiro's arcanum is The Moon. It doesn't symbolise snobbery, but contradictions, illusions, emotional turmoil, and fear of dark desires. Shinjiro is the game's premiere TroubledButCute [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Jerk with a Heart of Gold]]. He would love a normal life, even if he fears the after-effects of the short-lived normalcy he is given. His genuine kindness and modesty definitely contrasts the toughened up image he is seen as initially, like an illusion. The fears also manifest in his repressed desires for the protagonist.

** The bad ending, where the MC kills Ryoji has the MC executing his evoker at a much slower pace. Perhaps he knows the consequence of this which is that everyone will die, including him, and thinks of this as ACTUAL SUICIDE, thus taking a logical approach to the hesitant evoker pose.

* For a while, [[Tropers/{{Grade0}} this troper]] wondered why it is that the Death link progresses on its own. There is an in-game justification for The Fool and Judgment, but not so for Death. Then, it became clear: Death is Minato/Hamuko's own Arcana, representing their own development. Every other S.Link shows CharacterDevelopment in increased amounts as you power up that Arcana, so this only makes sense. Given how s/he brings out said development in others, this even reflects Death's symbolic meaning.

* The reason behind the MC's personas: Orpheus attempted to cheat death and failed; Thanatos is death personified and Messiah surpassed death.

* The bad ending doesn't seem quite so bad without the proper context. At first glance, it looks pretty peaceful, but since all memories of the dark hour have been erased, all of the CharacterDevelopment is null and void. So Junpei still has no purpose in life, Yukari still feels abandoned by her father and mother, Mitsuru is still in a state of HeroicBSOD, Shinjiro is either dead or in a coma and ignored, Ken still has regrets about his mother, Akihiko is still a BloodKnight, and Aigis has been completely forgotten. Oh yeah, and they're all going to die of Apathy Syndrome and they don't know it, and some dialog suggests it may already be happening. [[YouBastard Way to go bro.]]

** In that case, the female protagonist waking up in her 17-year-old body and mentality going to look for her friends. Think about her having a boyfriend, say Shinjiro. He most likely would've died of drug use by then.

* The entirety of Shinjiro's existence is just [[TheWoobie tragic one.]] If he's romanced by a female protagonist, he mentions seeing her crying in his coma. Why was she crying? Was it because of him? Did he dream about her watching him waste away? All this time, he's been distraught by having to leave ''her'' behind. He wakes up just in time to have the exact opposite happen.

** What if Castor goes berserk on ''Ken...''

* At the very beginning of the game, when the protagonist summons Orpheus for the first time: why is it so easy for them to use Yukari's evoker? They have little if any reason to believe it isn't a real gun - even Ryoji's reassurance only amounts to "go on." And instead of trying to shoot the Shadows, they ''immediately'' turn it on themself. Some kind of instinctive understanding? Or are they [[DrivenToSuicide looking for a way out of this madness?]]

* The evokers. The protagonist summons their Persona by shooting him/herself in the head. Apart from [[JustForPun evoking]] images of suicide, it's excellent foreshadowing. Remember [[HeroicSacrifice what happens]] to the Protagonist at the end?

*** Does this mean that Ryoji HasTwoMommies when the Protagonist is female?

* There may be some deeper symbolism and foreshadowing to the curb stomp battle in the game's beginning when Thanatos defeats the Magician. Isn't it ironic the arcana of Butt Monkey Junpei is the one that is the warm up boss you so easily best? More seriously, this can also be seen as early foreshadowing of Junpei's inferiority complex towards the MC given Thanatos is associated with said MC.

* Why is Mr Edogawa still in a job? As school nurse, he gives the students home made remedies rather than legitimate medicene, and as a substitute teacher he routinely throws the teacher's intended lesson plan out of the window to teach the class about magic.

* Given the revelations about Shadows and Persona later on in the series, Shinjiro losing control of his Persona makes sense. SEES aren't facing themselves in the Dark Hour or accepting what they suppress, so they aren't obtaining their Personas in the "proper" way. What they're doing with the Evokers is artificially forcing their Persona into being and fighting for them. Since their Shadows were never confronted and accepted, these Persona are actually still Shadows and can revert to their base nature so to speak and go out of control of their users.

* Given the revelations about Shadows and Persona later on in the series, Shinjiro losing control of his Persona makes sense. SEEDS aren't facing themselves in the Dark Hour or accepting what they suppress, so they aren't obtaining their Personas in the "proper" way. What they're doing with the Evokers is artificially forcing their Persona into being and fighting for them. Since their Shadows were never confronted and accepted, these Persona are actually still Shadows and can revert to their base nature so to speak and go out of control of their users.

* One may wonder why the Fall would occur in January 2010, when there have been humans wishing for death for a long time. However, some deeper thinking on this will reveal just how the modern era is so incredibly ''different'' from the rest of recorded history. Many of the world's most persistent problems, such as mass starvation, kingdoms and empires at war for decades at a time, poverty crushing the overwhelming majority of humanity, have been solved. On the other hand, the modern technologically advanced era has brought with it a whole host of other issues: rates of depression and mental illness are at levels never before seen in the past, the rise of nihilism as religion slips among current society has left many people aimless in life, those who have been "left behind" in the rapid pace of globalization have no hope for the future (witness the current opioid epidemic among white Americans in Rust Belt communities), social media has made people far more isolated and lonelier, and suicides are at the highest levels that have ''ever'' been recorded in human history. With all this in mind, it's no wonder Nyx was called to Earth in 2010, and why Elizabeth has to regularly beat Erebus up every year unless conditions significantly change in the 21st century.

* SP is way harder to recover in the field than HP. [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration Mitsuru offhandedly implies in the combat tutorial that SP is essentially a stress gauge.]] Incorporating mental health into the combat system makes a ''heartbreaking'' amount of sense when you're playing as a group of teenagers fighting for their lives on a dangerous mission no one else is capable of. Now, consider that you'll mostly be spending SP on Persona skills, aka ''tricking your brain into having a near-death experience while you're already in combat and therefore under a lot of stress.'' No wonder burning through SP too fast is so easy--you're [[RealityEnsues putting teenagers in life-or-death situations, and they get stressed out.]]

** It could actually still be just water and water turns a bloody red in the dark hour.

** You go through nine months before completely his Social Links. What also is nine months? Pregnancy. The MC is essentially ''pregnant'' with Nyx's Avatar, with Ryoji "born" afterwards once all other pieces of its existence has been gathered.

*** This relationship is even reflected in Ken's admittedly lackluster skillset. Ken learns light spells, which are associated with Justice, his arcana, which is also the idea his Persona Nemesis represents. Ken learns no boosts or multitargets for this skill, lessening his usefulness in it, but think about it--Ken only joined SEES because of his sense of justice being aimed at one person, and one person only: Shinjiro. Two of his physical attacks, Cruel Attack and Vile Assault, do bonus damage to foes who are already downed, and reference his tirade at and attempt to kill Shinjiro, who was already suffering extreme guilty over the matter. Kicking him while he's down.

* Out of the NewGamePlus Endings, Ken's was much more bittersweet and less romantic than everyone else's. The endings follow an upright meaning of each character's arcana. Justice is an arcana does not have an interpretation pertaining directly to love; the opposite actually, with ones such as distance and logic. Those would make sense, as space and rationality are what would keep them together without a stigma from society. The most significant of the meanings, however, is "clear vision". Ken expresses his worry that the main character will "go somewhere", hinting he knows her fate to die. Whether the others know and are lying for her sake, or Ken is the only one to know this is both poignant, and absolutely [[TearJerker heart-breaking]]
** It's worth noting Ken is the only one with a theory that seems to be true about the male MC in The Answer. He states twice that he believes the protagonist died because he used up all of his life energy during his one-on-one with Nyx and there's nothing disproving that fact, after all the MC was noted to look sick and feel very tired at the end of the game. Clear vision indeed.

* Thanks to the GenderFlip in the PSP portable, Theo was born. Many think this is in order for the female MC to romance the Velvet Room attendant. But looking back at Jung's psychology, from which the ''Persona'' games take a lot of inspiration, there's something called Anima/Animus (being Anima the female unconscious of a male, and the Animus the male unconcious of a female), that's meant to be a guide in order to achieve invidualization. The Velvet Room attendants, Margaret, Elizabeth and Theo are "the ones who represent power itself" and are constantly asking you for rare, difficult Persona Fusions in order to guide your soul in the right direction; because, be honest, how many of us would be creating those fusion if it weren't necessary to max their Social Links?

* [[DoesThisRemindYouofAnything Strega's artificially implanted Personas have a few parallels to organ transplants.]] In the early days of organ transplants (not sure if it's still true), if you weren't a twin of the person giving the organ, you had to take anti-rejection drug for the rest of your life. And that might not be that long; the first person who received a heart transplant only lived for 18 days. Strega got artificially implanted Personas and had to take drugs to stop rejection.

* The Answer (and Persona 4)'s reveal that Personas and Shadows are the same explains how Strega got their Personas in the first place and where the Kirijo Group managed to find Personas to insert. The Kirijo Group used Shadows and somehow made Personas from them.

* Look at Orpheus, then look at the protagonist. Now, look at the Persona's lyre, and then the chair you sit on, in the Velvet Room.