Continuing the P3/Canon discussion

[Ergroilnin]

Personally (I am not playing around with the definition of the word "canon") I think that FMC in P3P is canon but does not apply to the main timeline of the series.

Obviously Atlus chose to have male MC in the timeline of Persona games and thus, all the games will refer to him and not the female mc.

That said, female MC still is canon in her own timeline that so far didn't really expand and probably won't. That does not mean she didn't exist. She is just dead end, something like... I dunno good analogy... Like non true ending of the game. It can and if you want to, does happen but only the True ending has continuity in the series.

[Wolf Kanno]

I'm talking about canon to the current timeline. While Q has established beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she doesn't exist at all in the continuity. Hence why she is non canon to the overall story. She only exists in P3P.

This debate started in a different topic when I said that there's no point to buying P3P if you've already played FES, since P3P removes The Answer(which is integral to the continuity). The debate led to Skyblade eventually stating that the Female MC might be the official path for all we know. I posted this new info on PQ to show once and for all that female MC does not exist in the Persona canon(continuity-wise). Thus you get a lot more bang for your buck with FES.

P3P has two scenarios that are mostly the same with a few different social links.

FES gets two vastly different scenarios. All together it's the Journey(along with anime movies), the Answer, Arena, Ultimax, and Persona Q.

That's what I was getting at. FES is the most complete version of P3, and the one that you need to play in order to understand the full story. P3P was for fans that wanted to experience a fun alternate scenario. Which will most likely never be referenced in any of the games.

I don't necessarily disagree with any of this. Though I would still point out that just because the series follows the original Male MC from P3, it doesn't mean the FemMC is actually non-canon (unless PQ establishes something I am unaware of) as the set-up of the franchise makes it possible for her to return in a future installment if Atlus really felt like it, hence why I say she is canon, just not in the main continuity. If she were truly non-canon, they could never re-use her outside of maybe shout out or maybe some non-canon DLC. It's not like the Naoto Manga or Trinity Soul where the main continuity has made all those scenarios impossible to happen or the Persona Team has outright stated it is non-canon. Course we're also talking about a series where every new retelling of P4 becomes the established canon. I wouldn't be surprised if P3 follows suit with the P3 movies.

[Bright Shield]

I don't necessarily disagree with any of this. Though I would still point out that just because the series follows the original Male MC from P3, it doesn't mean the FemMC is actually non-canon (unless PQ establishes something I am unaware of)

Nothing unexpected. Just that the their is no female MC, in this timeline.

as the set-up of the franchise makes it possible for her to return in a future installment if Atlus really felt like it, hence why I say she is canon, just not in the main continuity. If she were truly non-canon, they could never re-use her outside of maybe shout out or maybe some non-canon DLC. It's not like the Naoto Manga or Trinity Soul where the main continuity has made all those scenarios impossible to happen or the Persona Team has outright stated it is non-canon.

It's actually exactly like the Naoto Manga or Trinity Soul. Those could have possibly existed in alternate universes as well(had Atlus not confirmed them as non canon). Female MC is in the same boat. She clearly does not exist in the main story: the only way we could ever see her again is in some sort of alternate reality. This is highly unlikely though. Persona Q is all about bringing characters together through space and time, and she still doesn't exist. It would have been all too easy to add her into the continuity, but she was scrapped. Since she simply doesn't exist in the official canon. She's basically one confirmation away from being 100% non canon.

I wish we could get Atlus to comment on this directly. Much like Matsuno did on Ramza's fate in FFT(where he was confirmed to be alive at the end).

Course we're also talking about a series where every new retelling of P4 becomes the established canon. I wouldn't be surprised if P3 follows suit with the P3 movies.

The P4 Anime was never the established canon. The current timeline consists of P3:FES and P4olden. Those are the ones that the sequels follow.

[Wolf Kanno]

Not true about P4, as P4 Arena borrows elements (mainly Yu Narakami's official name) as well as the waitress chick is confirmed to exist in the series despite debuting in the anime, I would say the P4 anime was canon until Golden was released and even then, P4 Golden is getting an anime adaption so it wouldn't be far fetched for elements of that to make it into future titles if it had certain changes fans like. As far as the P3 canon thing, it has more to do with the MC's real name will probably be the film version as well as the games likely giving small shout outs to his characterization in the films.

As far as Persona Q being able to bring the Fem MC in and not doing it, I would argue it would have been harder to write her in than you think and also I feel that since the Male MC shows up in all of the games he's easily more recognizable and the main character in the main continuity, so for the sake of keeping the fans on the same page they stuck with just using him. It would have taken too long in the story of PQ to explain why their are two leads for P3 and how the cast of P3 all know both of them without the two knowing each other and the game was already going to be a headache with time travel/dimension hopping anyway with just having the two casts of the games meet each other without complicating it even further and frankly, the Mega Ten series is usually pretty good about keeping their plots accessible without dealing with "read the sourcebook" drama that stifles so many other RPG franchises. Hell the connection of all the SMT games with each other is mostly tentative at best with the company and more of a fan thing.

Until she's confirmed as actual non-canon she can still exist in the series and not be used, it isn't helped that she is in the same character limbo as the male MC whom most fans are just waiting to make a return though I feel Arena has alluded to the fact it probably won't happen until so far into the series timeline that it would be irrelevant.

[NeoCracker]

I just want to throw in, this has been the single stupidest discussion to ever take place on this forum.

[Wolf Kanno]

I just want to throw in, this has been the single stupidest discussion to ever take place on this forum.

You obviously forgot about this thread then...

[NeoCracker]

I stand by my statement.

[Bright Shield]

I just want to throw in, this has been the single stupidest discussion to ever take place on this forum.

lol, maybe. If you think this is dumb, steer clear of GameFaqs though. This is Shakespeare compared to what goes on there. =P