The Persona series is full of player choice. You can choose to study rigorously, pursue a love life, and many other offerings in Atlus’ RPG-meets-social-sim franchise. Persona 3 Portable also has multiple endings for the player to pursue. While not as complicated to unlock as some of the later games, it is possible to miss the true ending of Persona 3. Here is how to see the true ending of Persona 3 Portable — and the bad ending for those who are curious.
Warning: Endgame spoilers for Persona 3 Portable ahead. If you’ve never experienced the story before, we recommend coming back once you’ve reached late December.
Reaching the point of no return in Persona 3 Portable
Ryoji is the key to Persona 3’s multiple endings.
On the evening of December 31st, Ryoji will appear at the SEES dorms and have a conversation with the protagonist and the other party members. Ryoji is the Harbinger who will bring Nyx to the world who will then begin the end of everything, an event the game calls the Fall. Her informs all of SEES that in order to stop Nyx’s descent they must come to a decision: Kill or spare Ryoji.
This decision is left up to the Protagonist who goes to a room where Ryoji is waiting. Ryoji reiterates that upon killing him Tartarus, The Dark Hour, and everyone’s memories of the events of the game will disappear. This will not stop the fall, but it will let everyone live in innocent peace with no knowledge of their impending doom.
Ryoji reiterates that there is no way for you to defeat Nyx, it is simply a choice between a blissful end or an end of constant fear.
Eventually, he will say “You must choose wisely.” at which point you will be given two dialogue options. The first is “Let Ryoji live” and the second is “Kill Ryoji.”
This is the point of no return. Your choice here will determine the end of the game, with each option leading to drastically different results. Here is which one to choose to see the canonical ending.
How to get the bad ending in Persona 3 Portable
To get it out of the way, choosing “Kill Ryoji” will lead players down the path of the “bad” ending. The screen will fade to black and then the calendar will jump to March. It is graduation day. As you bump into the members of SEES you have no memories of the time you spent in Tartarus or during the Dark Hour. Suspiciously Aegis watches you from a tree. Even though you know what is coming, the characters do indeed seem happy. The group decides to have a graduation party to celebrate, and you happily do that until the screen fades to black and the credits roll
Calling this the “bad” ending has a negative connotation, but the actual presentation of it is the complete opposite. Even though the world will end, everybody gets to be happy in the final days. But this ending does skip over an entire extra month of content.
The true ending unlocks a new month and an enemy to prepare for.
Unlocking January and the true ending of Persona 3 Portable
When given the choice between killing or sparing Ryoji, choosing “Let Ryoji live” leads to the true ending of Persona 3. Immediately after choosing this option, he will transform into the form of a Persona, showing you how dangerous he is. He will then beg again for you to kill him. If you again choose to spare him, he tells you he respects your decision and the two of you head back down to the lounge to talk with the rest of the members of SEES.
He informs you that you still will not be able to defeat Nyx and that she will appear on January 31 at the top of Tartarus. Before that day you must go through the entire Tartarus dungeon and reach the top in order to face her.
You will get to spend January building your social links and hanging out with characters, as well as watch the drastic transformation that the world goes through in anticipation of the coming apocalypse.
When January 31st does arrive, you will then experience Persona 3’s true ending. Be warned, you might want to have some tissues by your side.
Persona 3 Portable is available now for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
