Kotone Shiomi may return in Persona 5: The Phantom X on 24 September
In brief
- Kotone Shiomi, the female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable, may appear in Persona 5: The Phantom X, with more details expected on 21 September.
The timing lines up with the Persona 30th anniversary celebration, with more details expected on 21 September.
According to the same report, Kotone Shiomi is scheduled to be added on 24 September, after being absent from Persona 3 Reload.
What happened
Kotone Shiomi debuted in Persona 3 Portable as an alternate playable protagonist alongside Makoto Yuki. In that PSP version, players could reportedly choose between her route and Makoto Yuki’s, giving Kotone a permanent place in the wider Persona 3 cast. Persona 3 Reload, which launched in 2024, reportedly did not include her as a playable option or as part of the remake content.
Now, Gamerant reports that Kotone Shiomi is returning through Persona 5: The Phantom X. The game is said to be adding her as a playable character as part of the Persona 30th anniversary celebration. The same report mentions a new trailer showing Kotone Shiomi and other Persona 3 characters. That makes the connection between Persona 3 and Persona 5: The Phantom X concrete, although the exact form of the addition is limited in the provided information to the report’s description.
The report also mentions a special broadcast on 21 September, where more details about the anniversary content are expected. Kotone Shiomi’s planned addition is said to be on 24 September. The provided information also suggests Kotone may get her own side story in Persona 5: The Phantom X, but that part is not separately confirmed in the available source material.
Timeline
2024 — Persona 3 Reload launches without Kotone Shiomi, according to the report, while the remake reintroduces the Persona 3 world.
21 September — A special broadcast is expected to reveal more details about the Persona 30th anniversary content and the announced Persona 3 tie-in.
24 September — Kotone Shiomi is reportedly scheduled to be added to Persona 5: The Phantom X as a playable character.
Background
Kotone Shiomi is the female lead of Persona 3 Portable, a version of Persona 3 in which players could choose between her and Makoto Yuki. That makes her an alternate protagonist within the same storyline, setting her apart from the more familiar Makoto route. The report places her return not in Persona 3 Reload, but in Persona 5: The Phantom X, making the new game the platform for this Persona 3-related addition.
The timing lines up with Persona’s 30th anniversary. In the provided information, Kotone Shiomi’s addition is directly tied to that celebration, with 21 September as the date for more information and 24 September as the planned date for the actual addition. That makes the report especially relevant as part of a broader anniversary campaign for the Persona franchise.
The same context also refers to a trailer in which Kotone Shiomi and other Persona 3 characters are said to appear. That suggests the anniversary content may not focus on a single character, but could bring multiple Persona 3 elements into Persona 5: The Phantom X. The available information also says Kotone may receive her own side story, but without further confirmation that remains an open point. The most concrete details in the report therefore remain her status as the Persona 3 Portable protagonist, her absence from Persona 3 Reload, the planned update on 24 September, and the announced information broadcast on 21 September.