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The Persona 3 Reload ending is undoubtedly one of the best conclusions for a JRPG. It perfectly captures the feelings from all the prior P3 releases, including the movies, and delivers a perfect ending for your journey throughout the game. However, if Reload is the first game for you to embark on the epic story of Persona 3, the final scene can create some confusion.
After all, the game ends on a vague note, and you don't find out what happens to the protagonist—referred to as Makoto Yuki throughout the article. Fret not, as this article is here to answer your question.
Note: This article will discuss massive spoilers regarding Persona 3 Reload, The Answer DLC of FES, and the upcoming Episode Aigis expansion. Proceed with caution.
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Explaining Persona 3 Reload ending
Simply put, after fulfilling the promise of meeting his friends, Makoto Yuki perishes at the Gekkoukan High School rooftop on March 5. But before we dive into the answer to why he died, let's review a few points that led to the conclusion of Persona 3 Reload.
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The arrival of Ryoji/The Death
Ryoji Mochizuki is a transfer student who will join your class shortly after you defeat the 12th Shadow. While you both will become friends quickly, it will be revealed on December 2 that Ryoji is the 13th Shadow, Death itself.
After the confrontation on Moonlight Bridge, he gives you two choices: face the Fall, where you don't have any chance of winning, or kill him and live out your days peacefully before the Fall. He will return on December 31, and you must choose between killing and sparing him. The latter will lead you to the true Persona 3 Reload ending.
Ryoji, or Death, will ask you to face the game's final villain, Nyx, atop Tartarus on January 31.
The final battle and the Messiah
Atlus loves leaning into symbolism, and the final Persona you will obtain heavily symbolizes Makoto's future. Before the Persona 3 Reload ending, you must face Death itself. If you have Thanatos and Orpheus, you can fuse them to create Messiah, the savior, the ultimate Persona for Makoto.
Messiah's description states the following:
"Appears before Judgment Day to save the virtuous. He is a universal figure, appearing in myths around the world. Many stories involve his death and rebirth."
As you can guess, Makoto will have to pay the ultimate price during the battle with Nyx, which will result in the final scene of Persona 3 Reload's ending.
Now, let's go over the game's final battle. You and the SEES member make it atop Tartarus and fight a transformed Ryoji, who has lost his form. He quickly overwhelms you and begins the Fall. The moon breaks apart, revealing that Nyx was hiding in it all along. When it feels like all hope is lost, you are summoned to the Velvet Room for the last time.
The friendships and bonds you have formed throughout the game come to rescue you and humanity from its predicament. Igor bestows you with the power of the Universe Arcana, granting you a trump card to defeat Nyx.
Makoto is teleported toward the moon and, in what can be described as a trope done to death (no pun intended), uses the power of friendship to defeat Nyx.
But if you looked closely during the final confrontation, you will notice two things. One, the final attack that you will use on Nyx is called The Great Seal, and two, the moment you use this ability, your entire HP bar is drained.
This is where Makoto should've died, but the promise he made to his friends will help him survive, at least for now.
The Promised Day
The Dark Hour vanishes, and the time skips forward to March 4. You will feel that something is off, as none of your friends seems to remember anything about the Dark Hour. Anyways, you can explore around Iwatodai for the final time and head back to the dorm.
The next day (March 5) arrives; your seniors will be graduating, and there's a knock on the door. It is Aigis, and after talking with each other, Makoto regains his memory. Both of you go to the school's rooftop, where you decide to wait for your friends. Slowly, every one of the SEES members remembers their promise and rushes to the roof.
This brings us to the final scene of Persona 3 Reload. After a beautiful monologue from Aigis, where she explains that she has gained her humanity and it's all thanks to you, you can feel your eyes growing heavy. She confesses that she will protect you in the future, and after seeing your friends for the final time, the scene cuts to white with the ending song, Memories of You, playing.
Makoto dies peacefully on Aigis' lap, surrounded by the people he loves the most. The credits scene showcases him slowly drowning in the Sea of Souls, which has been beautifully symbolized throughout the game's UI.
Note: Do not proceed to the next section of this article if you do not want to be spoiled for the upcoming Episode Aigis DLC.
The Answer - The Great Seal and Elizabeth's Journey
The Answer DLC, which was introduced with FES, will make its return in the Persona 3 Reload Expansion Pass as Episode Aigis. During the events, you will learn that Makoto has sacrificed himself and become The Great Seal for the door that prevents Nyx from enacting the Fall.
Igor will explain that Makoto has found the meaning of life by interacting with his friends and, hence, made the call to protect them at the cost of his own life. Death, aka Nyx, is inevitable and, hence, cannot be defeated. The only way to prevent it from enacting the Fall is by stopping it from reaching humanity.
During the events of P4U Arena, you will again meet the Velvet Room attendant with a Blue hat. Elizabeth will receive the power of Arcana and embarks on a journey to free Makoto's soul without freeing Nyx.
The Persona 3 Reload ending is one of the most well-written and cleverly done conclusions among the best JRPGs available in the market. While the later games, Persona 4 and 5, still explore dark themes, their ending cannot come close to the fantastic journey that Makoto Yuki has embarked on while searching for the meaning of life.
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