Persona 3 Reload is a revamped version of the 2006 RPG game. It features new elements and improvements, while retaining the core story of high school students battling monsters with the power of friendship. However, a notable change in the updated version is the removal of a problematic exchange that depicted transphobia between a group of male characters and a character presenting as a trans woman.
In the original Persona 3, there is a scene where the characters go on a cruise, and one of the characters, Junpei, involves the protagonist in a scheme to pick up girls on the beach. They encounter a woman who they plan to approach, until their friend Akihiko Sanada notices stubble on her chin. The woman is then revealed to be transgender, and the boys react with fear and disdain. This exchange has been a subject of criticism.
In the updated Persona 3 Reload, this scene is approached differently. Instead of the transphobic jokes, the woman is depicted as a conspiracy theorist who warns the boys about the sun being replaced in the 1980s and tries to persuade them to buy expensive sunscreen. The boys mock her and walk away from the situation.
The English subtitles in the updated version align with this change, and it is not a case like Persona 5 Royal, where the English localization differs from the original Japanese version. This modification in Persona 3 Reload represents a positive step in addressing and rectifying a questionable aspect of the original game.
The Persona series has grappled with various social themes, and recent entries have made strides in addressing them. Persona 5 allows the player to explore same-sex relationships, and now Persona 3 Reload has successfully removed the transphobic scene. These changes indicate a willingness on the part of the series to portray such themes in a more respectful and inclusive manner.
For those considering revisiting Persona 3 Reload, this alteration in the scene provides reassurance that the transphobic content from the original game has been removed. This marks a positive development in the ongoing evolution of the Persona series.
