Persona 3 Star Yuri Lowenthal Opens Up About Being Recast for Reload (Exclusive)

Lowenthal is still involved with Persona 3 Reload but in a different role.

By Logan Moore

Yuri Lowenthal, one of the original voice actors in the Atlus RPG Persona 3, has opened up about what it was like to be recast in the forthcoming remake, Persona 3 Reload. Earlier this year, Atlus shared that it would be introducing new voice actors to play the roles of the main cast in Persona 3 Reload rather than have the original game's cast come back. And even though Lowenthal says he would have loved to play the title's main character once again, he's more than happy to still be involved with the project. 

In a conversation with ComicBook.com to promote Marvel's Spider-Man 2, we asked Lowenthal about his thoughts on the decision to overhaul the main cast for Persona 3 Reload. Broadly speaking, Lowenthal said he understood the move, especially within the context of a remake. He also expressed confidence in those who are coming in to play the parts this time around and also felt gratitude to longtime fans who wanted to see him return to his previous role. 

"Well, I loved how much support there was, but I also understand the decision to put a fresh coat of paint on something. If we're sort of starting over again to start fresh in some cases," Lowenthal said. "Did I love playing in that world and playing those characters? Sure. Would I have wanted to do it again? Yeah, but I get it. You're always disappointed not to come back as something that you love doing, but I also understand those decisions."

"The support is great, but I also love that the people that I know who are coming into play those roles are awesome," he continued. "Aleks Le who's coming in to play, depending on how you know him, the protagonist, Makoto or Minto. He goes by many names and people are very specific about what we call him. I think Aleks is awesome and a great fit for that, and I know it's going to be great. But I certainly appreciate the support. I love that people have loved that game so much. I love that people love it so much that they're upset for something to change, but I also understand things changing. You can't fight that."

Lowenthal's New Part in Persona 3 Reload

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Even though Lowenthal might not be playing the main protagonist of Persona 3 Reload, we did ask him if he would still have involvement with the game in some capacity. In a previous trailer, some fans noticed Lowenthal's distinct voice appearing in the early moments of the video. To that end, Lowenthal confirmed that he and many of the other voice actors from Persona 3 will be in the game, but just as different characters. 

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"Yeah, absolutely. I'm still included in there," he verified. "They wanted to include as many as possible original voice actors, and in some cases, not everybody is recast. For example, my wife, Tara Platt, who played two roles, it was just announced that she's coming back as Elizabeth, which is reprising her role from the previous game. I think most of us are still playing some role in it. Even if this time I'm the dad, which is okay, because that was 15 years ago. I'm older now, so I get it."

When it comes to the launch of Persona 3 Reload, this new remake is set to roll out early next year on February 2. Once it does arrive, it will be playable across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC. 

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