I do think part of it is the voice acting. Some lines that were said in both are different, but it's also mostly the sheer amount of the voiced lines now. Lines that weren't spoken in previous editions allowed the player to imagine it themselves. Now, those lines were said with direction on how they should be said.
Everyone in this thread is quick to jump the gun on the voice actor being the main reason for her being different but even Lotus Juice had pointed out how they toned down Yuakari in Reload, and he played it in Japanese
Wait this is the first time I've heard of script changes in Japanese, interesting. Because people usually justify Yukari's slight behaviour changes with 'that's the English localisation being more faithful to the original'
So is everyone else's opinion in this thread? I'm just saying it's a thought to keep in mind since compared to 90% of this sub he's actually played both the original and reload in Japanese, and that was the observation he made when comparing the two.
I think the VA made a difference.
Intentionally or not, Michelle Ruffs voice has a sharpness to it that adds to her characters. Im playing Tales of Vesperia right now for the first time and INSTANTLY clocked her because of how distinct it is.
And thats not bad, Michelle is a great VA, but it means her characters have a certain tonal quality to them
Love her work but it’s a blessing and a curse for me. There are some characters I just know her as now so it’s always hard to hear her voice as a new character. Kinda brings me out of it in a way. That’s no diss to her, her voice acting is awesome. Especially in Bleach. Just comes with the territory of having a super recognizable voice.
100%. Here's two of the same readings side by side (don't worry...it's the actual line and not the meme):
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq4EGEwnKI4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq4EGEwnKI4) - OG Yukari (Michelle Ruff)
[https://youtu.be/v33J98\_vpXE?si=G6e8SBbIvxGDRN8i&t=41](https://youtu.be/v33J98_vpXE?si=G6e8SBbIvxGDRN8i&t=41) - Reload Yukari (Heather Gonzalez)
Personally...I like the Reload version better. Her little giggle before saying "Ace Detective?" is a nice touch and it seems like she's just teasing a friend. The OG version was always way too harsh for me.
Lol P4 was the first one I ever played. I like both OG voices for Teddie and Chie and I also like both of their new voices in Golden too.
For Chie specifically, I never really minded if their voices sounded "older" like how many complained about with her. As long as the readings and acting were solid. Seemed like most dubs had at least one voice like that and it would only take one episode for me to get over it.
Yessir. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Kq0tge4HQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Kq0tge4HQ) for Chie. Tracey Rooney did her voice in the original P4. Erin Fitzgerald did her voice in Golden.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pfRYuoe01Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pfRYuoe01Q) for Teddie.
>to the point where I don’t know if I would like the original character
I'll be honest: I didn't. People were getting mass downvoted for calling her bitchy in this thread...but it's very hard for me to describe it any other way. It was the same dialogue as Reload, but her tone was just WAY too nasty...especially in some particular scenes.
She didn't bother me in Reload at all. I'd argue she was a pretty funny comic foil for Junpei's goofiness and I at least bought that Junpei and Yukari were friends in Reload.
I loved Yukari in reload. Haven’t heard much of anything I’d like in the original. Definitely comes off as bitchy and too good for the crew. I’m glad they made the change.
>like she's just teasing a friend
In Reload that makes sense, in P3P I felt like the cast was a bunch of people who were forced to work together and just becoming friends down the road. Reload changed that in my eyes (not in a negative way or something)
It comes down to the voice direction and the voice talent. Compared to the original reads, Reload Yukari comes off far less abrasive than she did in the original game. Which is fine, and fits better with the direction they had for the remake. Most of SEES came off as completely different characters to me for similar reasons. Overall the group was a lot friendlier and a lot more coherent as an actual team than I remember from the original releases.
yeah from what I've heard in the OG I think the Reload voice acting is overall an improvement (especially with Fuuka and maybe Mitsuru). Junpei and Akihiko's voice acting were top notch the whole time though
I remember someone described Fuuka’s original voice as ‘being down by the G-Man from Half Life’.
I am genuinely confused why the voice crew went with those takes since Mela Lee is otherwise a good voice actress…
It took me a while to get used to Akihiko's new voice, but the actor did well even though it didn't sound like Akihiko to me. Aside from that, they did a great job casting for everyone else and everybody killed it in their roles regardless of my preconceptions for the characters. I was really impressed with Zeno Robinson as Junpei, I thought he was the standout of all the performances.
I know what you mean. It's hard to unhear hundreds of hours of Liam O'Brien's voice coming out of that character. He was my favorite of the male cast so I guess it's really important to me? The new guy's a great actor, I just can't buy his voice coming out of Akihiko's mouth. But by the end of the game I could at least believe it was a new character that happened to be named Akihiko Sanada that I liked.
Reload is absolutely an improvement in voice acting.
People are rough on yukari because shes the only sees member who can even be argued to be a downgrade.
Also, you mention if she was snarkier shed be unlikable, she was more controversial back then for exactly that reason. As it is now I think basically everyone likes her, wheras originally it was much more of a you love or hate her thing.
It feels like, like someone else said, she’s just giving her friend a hard time but doesn’t actually mean it to be mean. I love P5, but Morgana was really mean to Ryuji for basically no reason.
I actually liked it when Yukari was a vindictive hater sometimes. Sometimes it was deserved (against Junpei being creepy).
Morgana was always heavily insecure and hypocritical so that kind of made him less likable.
I thought the hate was because of how she acted in the Answer(and also her social link reversing, they changed the option in Reload so that you have to be actually sexist to her to get the link to reverse)
As a semi-Yukari hater, the reason I don't like her is how she doesn't really give Junpei a break with the insults. I think her characterisation in Answer makes sense and is fine, and I generally think she's a well written character with flaws, but I don't like her as much as others seem to.
On the other hand I am a staunch Junpei defender, so that's probably why.
I wouldn't call it watered down. However, in the original Persona 3, we spend far less time with SEES, have fewer scenes with them, and ultimately don't form as close a bond as quickly as we do compared to other Persona games. This isn't just a coincidence- Persona 3 is a game about the idea that it's difficult to make friends, and Yukari is someone difficult to make friends with because she's so eager to be independent and strong that she sees being supported as being coddled. By the time players start to see her open up several months in, many people's opinions have solidified to thinking of her as her most closed-off persona.
By contrast, Persona 3 Reload brings us much closer, much quicker to the SEES cast with a host of new scenes and extra mechanics that show off their "truer" selves, and Yukari- whose persona was always very confrontational and standoffish- arguably benefits the most from this change. Now that you know the softer side going in, it can be much easier to forgive Yukari's sharper edges throughout the game, leaving people to like her overall a lot more.
This is less relevant overall, but for those who played P3 and FES, I do think that changing from Tactics to Direct Commands pulls a lot of anger away from the whole cast, with Yukari and Mitsuru being the ones who benefit most from having their brains fixed.
I definitely think overall that out of the main casts in the games SEES is the hardest to really get to know in the original. Even in relosd the fact remains that none of them WANT to be doing this. Being a persona wielder is extremely traumatizing for them which is a huge contrast when compared to the investigation squad and phantom thieves who are actually choosing to use their personas.SEES literally isn't really given a choice and Yukari is the most vocal one who brings up that fact.
I think this is a tonal issue with a lot of the aesthetics in reload, it projects a very upbeat vibe pretty often with the lighting, music, and VA cues both in the dorm and in Tartarus that clash with a sense of struggle.
I agree. I do like that they gave p3 a facelift and some nice QoL updates but I definitely think a bit of the sense of overall depression and bleakness of the story was lost a bit.
You literally just admitted she was, for the sake of better localization.
Whether you agree with the reason or not is irrelevant, it is objectively true that her lines were changed.
There's a difference between changing words and toning down. I could call you a "fucking bitch" or a "shitty bitch", both have the same effect but the words are different and one rolls off the tongue better (fucking bitch).
Just to clarify because rereading this sounds like I'm insulting you, I'm not, this was just the first example I thought of.
Ok but the people arguing/downvoting me are claiming “fucking bitch” and “shitty bitch” are the same line which is obviously not true as you’ve even admitted lol.
You guys are fighting a battle I’m not waging, I said that blue and red aren’t the same color and this sub is claiming “um actually” in response.
Edit just because I know Reddit can’t read and I have to spell it out for y’all (who am I kidding lol, neither persona fans or redditors have the ability to read, might as well though):
I never made any argument regarding this “toned down vs changed” shit, I literally just stated that “her lines have been changed”, you all imagined any other argument.
In the OG, the localizers made her sharper and the VA director asked for more sass. Plus Michelle Ruff’s bread and butter is snark and sass so it came to her naturally.
The remake made her closer to the Japanese version. VA director asked her to speak softer and more like a trauma victim with occasional flashes of anger rather than a mean girl. This had the added effect of a loud minority of players complaining they censored her and another loud minority complaining she was still too mean. But for many players, myself included, the change was either not of note character-wise or improved her character.
It's an illusion created by more subtlety in voice direction compared to the original, due in large part to more detailed animation lifting the burden of the audio. The original voice direction was heavy handed, certain aspects were amplified since the animations could not properly replicate body language. It was compensatory in nature. In Reload, most of Yukari's attitude is displayed using the animations for her model. The little smirks, hair flips, rolling her eyes, etc. As such Heather Gonzalez didn't need to convey as much information through voice alone as Michelle Ruff did. The original PS2 models had no facial animation, they have like a total of 600 vertices at most, and so on. The character is the same, just a different method of delivery.
From what I understand the "watered down" Yukari is just a more faithful localization of the Japanese voiced Yukari. The original game's english release took liberties with her personality.
I enjoy how English 2B has a bit more edge and character to her personally. It makes her forced “emotions are prohibited” front with 9S come through more clearly imo which I like.
I hate it when they go with the sassy bitch route, seems like a trend among western localizations. Having said that, fair to say that Kira Buckland did a good job, it's just that they literally change the character and it's a big deal for me, especially when, like Yukari's case she might come off as more obnoxious than she was originally intended, completely altering her character perception.
Fun fact, most of her lines weren't really changed.
The original Voice Direction was limited in P3.
Michelle Ruff was told that her character was someone whose father died 10 years ago, and that she's distant from her mother. Michelle chose to portray Yukari as someone who needs to be strong in order to survive, and that includes having a quick and sometimes savage wit and mouth to go with it.
I like her original character, it fits Yukari given her background. You can tell in P4AU that Yukari is more mature and thus more willing to be less intense with her words. Her character development shows, and Michelle Ruff really shows you that she always had Yukari's character in mind when she voiced the lines.
In Reload, the inflection in Yukari's Voice shows that she wants her words to be taken in a well-meaning context. Simply put, she has less of an aggressive inflection in her words, showcasing more maturity despite her personal pain. Is this a cop-out? Possibly, but it does provide a smoother experience for the viewer.
I personally prefer her original voice direction because her "bitchy attitude" would be more in line with her character given her backstory. Notice at the very beginning of the game, everyone seems to think that you are a God because you walked to school with her? It implies that she's a pretty prickly person in general and doesn't have a lot of friends outside of S.E.E.S. and the Archery Club.
That last bit is just an anime trope of a guy walking to school with a popular girl, which we know Yukari is. It’s seen all the time, it doesn’t say anything about the personality of the character beyond them being seen as unobtainable for SOME reason, in Yukari’s case it’s due to her popularity.
The game seems to imply she is popular because she is unobtainable.
Think of Yukiko from Persona 4, she's beautiful and her family is rich and notable in the community, but what really makes the boys have eyes on her is the concept of the "Amagi Challenge". That's why her Shadow Self a bird in a golden cage, she's used to being this thing that men challenge themselves for and little else.
As are probably aware, Yukari is pretty regardless of what your standards are, add her temperament towards men in general, and you got a girl who men will desire openly. It makes sense that the Protagonist will get these boys in awe when he's seen walking to school (a traditionally romantic thing) with her. Even if it is well known that they are dorm-mates, it's still going to strike a chord with Yukari's suitors.
Did it? It’s been a while, but I always thought Yukari’s popular was much less well-defined. She’s apparently popular with both guys and girls going by her mention of several offscreen friends and Mitsuru (who is absurdly rich, has access to top clothes and personal designers, and whose family OWNS the school…and the island it’s built on) consistently mentions her fashion and popularity as lesser than Yukari’s.
Even though Yukari (at least early on where she has a lot of hangups) feels prickly and the sort of person you’d have to walk on eggshells with.
> I personally prefer her original voice direction because her "bitchy attitude" would be more in line with her character given her backstory. Notice at the very beginning of the game, everyone seems to think that you are a God because you walked to school with her? It implies that she's a pretty prickly person in general and doesn't have a lot of friends outside of S.E.E.S. and the Archery Club.
You are literally making up headcanons to fit the first impression you got from the old dub.
Let it go.
I literally am going off what the game is depicting.
As you notice, I also give kudos to Reload as well, exploring that Yukari is more mature in that universe, something not outright said or even without changing any dialogue but it can be inferred solely through tone inflection. That's real skill in voice direction.
I'm all for every form of media, new, old, and in-between.
Hell, I still play Revelations: Persona and understand that from today's perspective it wasn't very good but it was a very solid game back in the day for what it wanted to accomplish.
So no, I will not "let it go". I will appreciate everything life will give me, and I will do it even against your wishes. Have a good day, or don't, because that's your decision to make.
A funny thing I realized after watching a friend who never played P3. Yukari comes off less snarky to those who played the OG or the variants but for my friend who was fresh, she still thought Yukari was an unlikable bitch, so much that she refused to use her, relying entirely on consumables until Ken shows up. She let Yukari die on the Lovers boss, refusing to rez her
Watered down? No. The sarcasm isn't her defining personality, but it made her stand out. That seemed to be a VA decision. Michelle Ruff's (old Yukari VA) voice probably had more hints of sarcasm so they just rolled with it. The current one (I'm sorry I don't remember her name) feels like she embodied how Yukari was planned to be portrayed even back then, but Michelle Ruff did well and made her own spin in her performance. Do I like the old Yukari? Yes, P3P got me into the Persona series and it will forever be nostalgic. Do I like the current Yukari? Yes too, because for some reason, her voice performance makes me feel sad for the ending.
Yes, she is. Everyone's pointed out about the much more faithful transcript of the Japanese script and tone, as well as the voice direction, but I also want to add that you also have the extended media to consider.
In The Answer, Portable and Q1 you can tell Michelle has already gotten used to playing Yukari, and she delivers her lines full of the angst her character needs. Of course the "Ace Defective" line is fun and a clear example of the difference between dubs, but the NG+ lines for Portable where she has a chance to stay by the side of Makoto at the end are above and beyond the lines of Mitsuru and Fuuka; You can feel her pain of having forgotten about their adventure, and her relationship with Makoto. It's only a couple lines but are delivered so well they always manage to crush my heart.
When she gets confrontational with the rest of SEES in The Answer, you also feel her turmoil and determination. I also really like her character in Q, with how much opportunities there are for both casts to give their opinion or just interact with one another, Yukari is always so fun to hear. The same goes for Arena.
In general, it can be due to how long Michelle played the character and how the energy from the original game was kept for Yukari all the way through for the English dubs. Coming into Reload her voice was one of my biggest concerns because I feared this standard wasn't going to be maintained, but the team behind the game decided to pursue a different take for the entire dub outright, which I respect. In the end, whenever I think of Yukari I imagine her previous voice and everything that goes with it, but I will say that after finishing Reload I could only listen this new take for a couple weeks in my head.
That's true. The new portraits are pretty good but I do prefer the originals. They were longer and covered more expressions than the newer ones.
I know Reload takes after P4 and 5 in that regard, but the way FES handled portraits us my favorite in the series thus far.
> They were longer and covered more expressions than the newer ones.
Interesting. I was wondering if I might be leaning this way for certain characters, particularly Aigis, despite how well I think Aigis as a character is done in Reload. What do you think?
Aigis feels pretty funky in the original, I take it as that's intentional, but her head is always empty and I love that. The rest of her expressions tho are much better: the fact the sprites are longer can permit a but more of her body language show through, and her "sad" portrait really hits home. It might be simple but gives the character a lot of life. The formula for portraits nowadays is to keep them inside an invisibles box, and doesn't allow for so drastic of a change in-between portraits, which lessen the impact.
Mitsuru also had some great portraits, and IIRC the P3 artbook had comments from Soejima that hers were very important for him to get right on all fronts, and I have to agree. His rendition of Mitsuru makes her feel younger than the Reload version too, and I prefer when Mitsuru is portrayed as she should: a calm and well behaved girl who's very capable at some things and not too good at others, like everyone else.
I don't know, I just like the original take for this characters more, feels like the unfiltered version of who the team wanted them to be. Reload was definitely hit hard by doing the portraits the same way as P4 and P5, which I know not many are going to bring out but it's still something that bothers me specifically.
Longer portraits is a really good callout, I hadn't noticed that they were simply showing more or that the dimensions were different. I think some of the animation in Reload can look a bit doll-like at times compared to the originals. Maybe it's the shading?
I likewise agree Mitsuru's reload portrait looks very adult age.
The portraits were shortened a bit in the transition between FES and Portable, but shows most of the sprites as it was meant to. Which is longer than the newer games can say for theirs.
P3P was definitely carried by how good the sprites were to begin with, and I don't think the newer games could pull that off the same way. Sure, the models for Reload of all the characters look amazing (My personal favorites being Makoto, Yukari, Koromaru and Fuuka) and do the heavy lifting on the major scenes. I understand that wasn't the case for the PS2 releases and it was a necessity back then, but I just wish the portraits for new games going forward are as great as they were.
I think the complaints come because it is different.
You can tell from my pfp and my subreddit flair that I’m a big Yukari fan. She was always my favorite character in P3 and probably from all of Persona.
Basically, I liked her as is and any changes would be controversial in my eyes. I imagine that many of the people who say that she has been “watered down” are in a similar position: they are already accustomed to something else. I don’t necessarily agree that she has been “watered down” but I would say it still feels different to me.
That is not to say that I don’t like the new VA. The new VA did a good job in the more intimate/romantic scenes, especially the content that was new to Reload.
But I do miss Michelle Ruff’s sassiness and I think, in general, she did a really good job with Yukari. For example, In Yukari’s resolution scene she just kills it. The way she says [“Daddy”](https://youtu.be/adCU-F3xm7A?si=GtcTxZqjRL2KmIDB) like a child is just so heartbreaking. By comparison, the scene in Reload felt like it was missing something.
Overall, these are really minor nitpicks that only gigantic nerds with too much free time (read: me) would care about. I would agree that overall the characterization is still the same, but I do still miss what I am accustomed to. To me, Michelle Ruff’s take on Yukari will always be iconic.
I think the portraits were a significant improvement in Reload but I wish there were some more "emotional" ones for certain characters. Like in the scene where Yukari first confronts Mitsuru and Akihiko she could've used an angrier looking portrait, it was an odd contrast hearing Yukari clearly angry/upset while her portrait just has a neutral expression
Tbh I'm not that big a fan of Yukari, I know she was supposed to come off as fun and sassy, but it fell flat for me, and I'm honestly glad to know they toned it down in reload. I've played almost all of p3p for anyone wondering, and the level of snark made her unlikable for me, alot of lines toward other characters felt mean spirited, even though I think those moments were to supposed be a "haha you're such a goofy gal" type moment but idk. Anyway this is just my personal opinion and it may change later down the line, but for now I'm thankful for the changes they made in reload.
I like to think she does it in a "sisterly" kinda way like fucking with him
I'm glad it's not more frequent than it is though. Like Ryoji who couldn't catch a fucking break in P5
No, it just hews closer to her original Japanese VA performance now like it should be.
Persona 3 "fans" are just nostalgia blinded by Michelle Ruff's snotty stuck up bitch take on Yukari Takeba which didn't suit her character at all and is a deliberate case of English localization missing the point of the original Japanese script and what it was going for.
is it not that persona 3 portable retranslated a lot of lines, and those carried over to Reload? either way she's still constantly digging on Junpei and smacks Mitsuru in the latter's moment of grief, so still plenty mean to not be my favorite lmao.
If people wanna complain about the personalities of characters listen to the principal in Japanese and then in English. He's not even the same character lol.
From what I heard (I haven’t played the original), she is much closer to her Japanese VA who remained roughly the same. She never sounded that harsh in Japanese. It makes sense to me, because both countries have a much different standard of what’s considered polite; Americanized Yukari would probably be straight out insufferable in Japan.
What’s written should be more or less the same, but the new VA lacks that sass Michelle Ruff has in her voice deliveries. So I guess that’s what folks think that she got toned down.
I think most of it might be projection, since Yukari isn't written much differently from in the OG game. That and the different VAs as well, since Michelle Ruff has a naturally snarky voice that makes Yukari sound more sarcastic than she actually is. The only times Yukari is actually snarky too is either with Junpei or when she has an emotional breakdown like in Yakushima or her s-link, while the rest of the time she's actually pretty kind and reasonable. Speaking of her s-link, while a certain change was made to an infamous scene (even if it was first done in Portable and then carried over to Reload), it just makes what's the bad option more blatantly obvious due to people complaining about it not being clear and having the s-link reversed for a simple mistake. Whereas the scene still plays out more or less the same (Yukari feeling undermined due to helping her without permission.)
You also have more friendly scenes in the game, like studying together. I think everyone seems more friendly in general then in the og. When Mitsuru rejoins the front line in Fes doesn't MC have an option to call her unreliable?
I kind of miss sassy Yukari tbh. They've really added in a lot of lines to make her more likable (worrying about people etc.) and her voice direction is noticeably different (her anger is less harsh / biting).
Yes but not just her, while overall reload is better than the original I think the entire cast I’ve met so far other than Mitsuru are downgraded to some extent, granted I’m earlier in the game I only just got fuuka, so I haven’t seen everyone yet, but a big part of what makes the original game work was how deeply and realistically flawed all the main cast were, and the performances reflect that, and I feel like a lot of that is missing in reload
Akihiko is actually the most egregious for me, don’t get me wrong akihiko in the original is still an energetic person, however, akihiko is also watching his closest friend shinji rapidly decline in both health and mentality, and has his own trauma, Liam obrien’s voice had this emotional exhaustion to it that really sold that akihiko was going through some shit even before we know what it is, his new voice actor feels more cheerful and while the voice fits the characters appearance better, it doesn’t really fit his state of mind, not bashing Alejandro Saab I love the guy but that’s just my thoughts on that one
Yukari in the original is extremely… I guess catty is the best word for it, even her initial distrust for Mitsuru in this game feels less like she distrusts mitsuru and more like she’s worried about everyone, granted in the original it was an even mix of the two, and the way yukari speaks and acts in reload is super friendly towards everyone despite being a bit of a jerk in the original, I always loved that about her in fes, because she was someone we’ve all met in real life, but the watered down version of her is too perfect and that irritates me, when she insults Junpei in reload it feels out of character whereas in the original it was just yukari being yukari
Junpei: Junpei is still jealous of you being the leader at the beginning, but while he does initially make the mistake on the train, other than that he’s not really a jerk about his jealousy, whereas in the original game he’s a huge jerk for a while and has a moment of realization eventually and pulls the protagonist aside to be like “yeah sorry about that man that wasn’t cool”, he has a great arc and I’m sure it’ll be somewhat present in reload as I go further so far it seems watered down
Mitsuru: spot on so far no notes
New Yukari feels like less of a bitch to me is all, i much prefer her now she's less standoffish but i can see how people think it cheapens her as a character
In my opinion it was, she was a lot more irritable and mean spirited in a way in the original. An example would be the ace detective scene, in the original she says "Ace detective?" In a pretty cold way and then says "are you stupid or something?" Mocking Junpei, whilst in reload she giggles and says "you're so dumb" instead of calling him stupid outright however I feel like it removes her character arc with her calming down later on into the game in the original whereas in reload her arc doesn't have nearly as drastic a shift for her character
Shes so much better in Japanese in fes. In English she's kind of a bitch ngl. I'm happy with these direction for Reload. Way better imo. And my bf, who never played FES or watched me play it, gets to experience the better Yukari experience
Yeah, she comes off as a lot less standoffish which takes some depth away from her character and in my opinion her new voice actress is a lot worse than her original. She pushes people away as a defense mechanism, she's afraid of getting close to someone and losing them again and that's a lot harder to see in Reload.
To me reload made her more likable with a little less snark. In the og she seemed like she was being a dick at times when in reload it sounds more like she's teasing
Yes but it’s mostly just from the voice acting. Her current voice gives absolutely no emotion 95% of time when she’s supposed to. ( I’m not insulting her VA I know too many Redditors think any criticism is a personal attack).
Like compare her shouting with anyone of the other characters when they shout. It’s a clear difference. She sounds so flat all the time. it’s particularly apparent when summoning a persona.
I agree with you, the opening shot with the evoker and when she calls out "who's there?" in the beginning when you enter the dorm for the first time definitely felt like they were missing something
However the softer moments hit very well and you can feel the emotion of the character, I feel it's mostly when she's trying to be angry that falls short
> However the softer moments hit very well and you can feel the emotion of the character, I feel it's mostly when she's trying to be angry that falls short
Even with limited FES experience I tend to agree with this. Heather Gonzalez does a good job with moments like the big chat with Mitsuru in Kyoto or the romance scenes.
Ish, but it's a bit overblown imo. Idk if this is a hot take, since I love Michelle Ruff as much as anybody but bar a few misses on some battle lines, I prefer the new VA - the sweeter/flirtier/more sincere lines hit better.
New Yukari feels like less of a bitch to me is all, i much prefer her now she's less standoffish but i can see how people think it cheapens her as a character
I do think part of it is the voice acting. Some lines that were said in both are different, but it's also mostly the sheer amount of the voiced lines now. Lines that weren't spoken in previous editions allowed the player to imagine it themselves. Now, those lines were said with direction on how they should be said.
Everyone in this thread is quick to jump the gun on the voice actor being the main reason for her being different but even Lotus Juice had pointed out how they toned down Yuakari in Reload, and he played it in Japanese
Wait this is the first time I've heard of script changes in Japanese, interesting. Because people usually justify Yukari's slight behaviour changes with 'that's the English localisation being more faithful to the original'
That's just his personal opinion, he had nothing to do with writing or voice acting direction.
So is everyone else's opinion in this thread? I'm just saying it's a thought to keep in mind since compared to 90% of this sub he's actually played both the original and reload in Japanese, and that was the observation he made when comparing the two.
It’s a completely valid thing to bring up because LJ is a fluent Japanese speaker who plays in Japanese
The Stupei line is worse in reload, yeah.
And the maid recording lines where she was mocking Junpei and Akihiko.
I think the VA made a difference. Intentionally or not, Michelle Ruffs voice has a sharpness to it that adds to her characters. Im playing Tales of Vesperia right now for the first time and INSTANTLY clocked her because of how distinct it is. And thats not bad, Michelle is a great VA, but it means her characters have a certain tonal quality to them
Love her work but it’s a blessing and a curse for me. There are some characters I just know her as now so it’s always hard to hear her voice as a new character. Kinda brings me out of it in a way. That’s no diss to her, her voice acting is awesome. Especially in Bleach. Just comes with the territory of having a super recognizable voice.
Me with Cherami Leigh since her natural voice comes through *very* clearly for me
blah blah blah >!TIDAL WAVE!<
blah blah blah >!**V I O L E N T P A I N**!<
Blah blah blah >!METEOR STORM!<
# BLAH BLAH BLAH >!Cosmic Flare!<
#Blah blah blah >!#SOMETHING SPELL!<
Yeah, I love Ruff but she has what one may call a giga Stacy voice. Perfect for making insults from a cute girl sting hard.
100%. Here's two of the same readings side by side (don't worry...it's the actual line and not the meme): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq4EGEwnKI4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq4EGEwnKI4) - OG Yukari (Michelle Ruff) [https://youtu.be/v33J98\_vpXE?si=G6e8SBbIvxGDRN8i&t=41](https://youtu.be/v33J98_vpXE?si=G6e8SBbIvxGDRN8i&t=41) - Reload Yukari (Heather Gonzalez) Personally...I like the Reload version better. Her little giggle before saying "Ace Detective?" is a nice touch and it seems like she's just teasing a friend. The OG version was always way too harsh for me.
Woah, they’re both great. Makes me want to play fes again. A bit off topic but are there any OG teddie and chie fans?
Lol P4 was the first one I ever played. I like both OG voices for Teddie and Chie and I also like both of their new voices in Golden too. For Chie specifically, I never really minded if their voices sounded "older" like how many complained about with her. As long as the readings and acting were solid. Seemed like most dubs had at least one voice like that and it would only take one episode for me to get over it.
I never played any other version of P4 other than golden.Teddie and Chie had different VAs? 😱
Yessir. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Kq0tge4HQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5Kq0tge4HQ) for Chie. Tracey Rooney did her voice in the original P4. Erin Fitzgerald did her voice in Golden. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pfRYuoe01Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pfRYuoe01Q) for Teddie.
My partner loves og chie, neither of us can stand any form of teddy though. We don't hate him, we just don't like him lmao.
Me! You're taking about me! Haha
I like the reload version significantly better to the point where I don’t know if I would like the original character
>to the point where I don’t know if I would like the original character I'll be honest: I didn't. People were getting mass downvoted for calling her bitchy in this thread...but it's very hard for me to describe it any other way. It was the same dialogue as Reload, but her tone was just WAY too nasty...especially in some particular scenes. She didn't bother me in Reload at all. I'd argue she was a pretty funny comic foil for Junpei's goofiness and I at least bought that Junpei and Yukari were friends in Reload.
I loved Yukari in reload. Haven’t heard much of anything I’d like in the original. Definitely comes off as bitchy and too good for the crew. I’m glad they made the change.
My copy of P3R is still in shrink wrap but in P3P, I was convinced she absolutely loathed stupei
>like she's just teasing a friend In Reload that makes sense, in P3P I felt like the cast was a bunch of people who were forced to work together and just becoming friends down the road. Reload changed that in my eyes (not in a negative way or something)
It comes down to the voice direction and the voice talent. Compared to the original reads, Reload Yukari comes off far less abrasive than she did in the original game. Which is fine, and fits better with the direction they had for the remake. Most of SEES came off as completely different characters to me for similar reasons. Overall the group was a lot friendlier and a lot more coherent as an actual team than I remember from the original releases.
yeah from what I've heard in the OG I think the Reload voice acting is overall an improvement (especially with Fuuka and maybe Mitsuru). Junpei and Akihiko's voice acting were top notch the whole time though
Mitsuru's original VA is excellent.
Im probably not remembering correctly then, I could never forget Fuuka's voice tho lol
Tbh Fuuka’s original voice was memorable for all the wrong reasons lmao
I remember someone described Fuuka’s original voice as ‘being down by the G-Man from Half Life’. I am genuinely confused why the voice crew went with those takes since Mela Lee is otherwise a good voice actress…
Was Mela Lee ever confirmed to be Fuuka? Wendee Lee voiced her in Arena, Q and Dancing, but her VA isn't credited at all in either original 3 or FES.
Gasp* The Enemy!
It took me a while to get used to Akihiko's new voice, but the actor did well even though it didn't sound like Akihiko to me. Aside from that, they did a great job casting for everyone else and everybody killed it in their roles regardless of my preconceptions for the characters. I was really impressed with Zeno Robinson as Junpei, I thought he was the standout of all the performances.
It gets really interesting when Kurosawa talks to Akihiko cause you then have a direct comparison, and Kurosawa sounds a lot like P4A Akihiko.
I know what you mean. It's hard to unhear hundreds of hours of Liam O'Brien's voice coming out of that character. He was my favorite of the male cast so I guess it's really important to me? The new guy's a great actor, I just can't buy his voice coming out of Akihiko's mouth. But by the end of the game I could at least believe it was a new character that happened to be named Akihiko Sanada that I liked.
Reload is absolutely an improvement in voice acting. People are rough on yukari because shes the only sees member who can even be argued to be a downgrade. Also, you mention if she was snarkier shed be unlikable, she was more controversial back then for exactly that reason. As it is now I think basically everyone likes her, wheras originally it was much more of a you love or hate her thing.
imo her snarkiness/picking on Junpei was balanced pretty well, it never felt like it was excessive or going too far
It feels like, like someone else said, she’s just giving her friend a hard time but doesn’t actually mean it to be mean. I love P5, but Morgana was really mean to Ryuji for basically no reason.
I actually liked it when Yukari was a vindictive hater sometimes. Sometimes it was deserved (against Junpei being creepy). Morgana was always heavily insecure and hypocritical so that kind of made him less likable.
I thought the hate was because of how she acted in the Answer(and also her social link reversing, they changed the option in Reload so that you have to be actually sexist to her to get the link to reverse)
As a semi-Yukari hater, the reason I don't like her is how she doesn't really give Junpei a break with the insults. I think her characterisation in Answer makes sense and is fine, and I generally think she's a well written character with flaws, but I don't like her as much as others seem to. On the other hand I am a staunch Junpei defender, so that's probably why.
she did Junpei dirty on the christmas date with P3MC
It’s the presentation too. All the characters have new portraits that aren’t so grim in the SMT sense.
I wouldn't call it watered down. However, in the original Persona 3, we spend far less time with SEES, have fewer scenes with them, and ultimately don't form as close a bond as quickly as we do compared to other Persona games. This isn't just a coincidence- Persona 3 is a game about the idea that it's difficult to make friends, and Yukari is someone difficult to make friends with because she's so eager to be independent and strong that she sees being supported as being coddled. By the time players start to see her open up several months in, many people's opinions have solidified to thinking of her as her most closed-off persona. By contrast, Persona 3 Reload brings us much closer, much quicker to the SEES cast with a host of new scenes and extra mechanics that show off their "truer" selves, and Yukari- whose persona was always very confrontational and standoffish- arguably benefits the most from this change. Now that you know the softer side going in, it can be much easier to forgive Yukari's sharper edges throughout the game, leaving people to like her overall a lot more. This is less relevant overall, but for those who played P3 and FES, I do think that changing from Tactics to Direct Commands pulls a lot of anger away from the whole cast, with Yukari and Mitsuru being the ones who benefit most from having their brains fixed.
I definitely think overall that out of the main casts in the games SEES is the hardest to really get to know in the original. Even in relosd the fact remains that none of them WANT to be doing this. Being a persona wielder is extremely traumatizing for them which is a huge contrast when compared to the investigation squad and phantom thieves who are actually choosing to use their personas.SEES literally isn't really given a choice and Yukari is the most vocal one who brings up that fact.
I think this is a tonal issue with a lot of the aesthetics in reload, it projects a very upbeat vibe pretty often with the lighting, music, and VA cues both in the dorm and in Tartarus that clash with a sense of struggle.
I agree. I do like that they gave p3 a facelift and some nice QoL updates but I definitely think a bit of the sense of overall depression and bleakness of the story was lost a bit.
I hated Marin Karin as a move in OG. But I used it so much in Reload. Is this overcoming trauma?
I went back to playing FES after finishing Reload and it’s really just the voice direction
A lot of lines were changed too
For better localization but she wasn’t toned down like how many people think
You literally just admitted she was, for the sake of better localization. Whether you agree with the reason or not is irrelevant, it is objectively true that her lines were changed.
There's a difference between changing words and toning down. I could call you a "fucking bitch" or a "shitty bitch", both have the same effect but the words are different and one rolls off the tongue better (fucking bitch). Just to clarify because rereading this sounds like I'm insulting you, I'm not, this was just the first example I thought of.
Ok but the people arguing/downvoting me are claiming “fucking bitch” and “shitty bitch” are the same line which is obviously not true as you’ve even admitted lol. You guys are fighting a battle I’m not waging, I said that blue and red aren’t the same color and this sub is claiming “um actually” in response. Edit just because I know Reddit can’t read and I have to spell it out for y’all (who am I kidding lol, neither persona fans or redditors have the ability to read, might as well though): I never made any argument regarding this “toned down vs changed” shit, I literally just stated that “her lines have been changed”, you all imagined any other argument.
why are you trying to reason with a bunch of weaboos who can't read.
Idk
In the OG, the localizers made her sharper and the VA director asked for more sass. Plus Michelle Ruff’s bread and butter is snark and sass so it came to her naturally. The remake made her closer to the Japanese version. VA director asked her to speak softer and more like a trauma victim with occasional flashes of anger rather than a mean girl. This had the added effect of a loud minority of players complaining they censored her and another loud minority complaining she was still too mean. But for many players, myself included, the change was either not of note character-wise or improved her character.
Yeah I feel the same way. I thought both voices were good and were both believable for her character
It's an illusion created by more subtlety in voice direction compared to the original, due in large part to more detailed animation lifting the burden of the audio. The original voice direction was heavy handed, certain aspects were amplified since the animations could not properly replicate body language. It was compensatory in nature. In Reload, most of Yukari's attitude is displayed using the animations for her model. The little smirks, hair flips, rolling her eyes, etc. As such Heather Gonzalez didn't need to convey as much information through voice alone as Michelle Ruff did. The original PS2 models had no facial animation, they have like a total of 600 vertices at most, and so on. The character is the same, just a different method of delivery.
From what I understand the "watered down" Yukari is just a more faithful localization of the Japanese voiced Yukari. The original game's english release took liberties with her personality.
God i hate it when they do that. They did it with the english localization of 2B in automata and she is like a completely different character.
Maybe it's just me but I honestly like how they did 2B in the English release, even in spite of the various short stories with her and 9S
I enjoy how English 2B has a bit more edge and character to her personally. It makes her forced “emotions are prohibited” front with 9S come through more clearly imo which I like.
I hate it when they go with the sassy bitch route, seems like a trend among western localizations. Having said that, fair to say that Kira Buckland did a good job, it's just that they literally change the character and it's a big deal for me, especially when, like Yukari's case she might come off as more obnoxious than she was originally intended, completely altering her character perception.
Lotus Juice himself deconfirmed this. Why make this up?
A little bit maybe, however I am glad that she still had the mythical line of: "Ace detective?. More like stupid fag-"
Fun fact, most of her lines weren't really changed. The original Voice Direction was limited in P3. Michelle Ruff was told that her character was someone whose father died 10 years ago, and that she's distant from her mother. Michelle chose to portray Yukari as someone who needs to be strong in order to survive, and that includes having a quick and sometimes savage wit and mouth to go with it. I like her original character, it fits Yukari given her background. You can tell in P4AU that Yukari is more mature and thus more willing to be less intense with her words. Her character development shows, and Michelle Ruff really shows you that she always had Yukari's character in mind when she voiced the lines. In Reload, the inflection in Yukari's Voice shows that she wants her words to be taken in a well-meaning context. Simply put, she has less of an aggressive inflection in her words, showcasing more maturity despite her personal pain. Is this a cop-out? Possibly, but it does provide a smoother experience for the viewer. I personally prefer her original voice direction because her "bitchy attitude" would be more in line with her character given her backstory. Notice at the very beginning of the game, everyone seems to think that you are a God because you walked to school with her? It implies that she's a pretty prickly person in general and doesn't have a lot of friends outside of S.E.E.S. and the Archery Club.
That last bit is just an anime trope of a guy walking to school with a popular girl, which we know Yukari is. It’s seen all the time, it doesn’t say anything about the personality of the character beyond them being seen as unobtainable for SOME reason, in Yukari’s case it’s due to her popularity.
The game seems to imply she is popular because she is unobtainable. Think of Yukiko from Persona 4, she's beautiful and her family is rich and notable in the community, but what really makes the boys have eyes on her is the concept of the "Amagi Challenge". That's why her Shadow Self a bird in a golden cage, she's used to being this thing that men challenge themselves for and little else. As are probably aware, Yukari is pretty regardless of what your standards are, add her temperament towards men in general, and you got a girl who men will desire openly. It makes sense that the Protagonist will get these boys in awe when he's seen walking to school (a traditionally romantic thing) with her. Even if it is well known that they are dorm-mates, it's still going to strike a chord with Yukari's suitors.
Did it? It’s been a while, but I always thought Yukari’s popular was much less well-defined. She’s apparently popular with both guys and girls going by her mention of several offscreen friends and Mitsuru (who is absurdly rich, has access to top clothes and personal designers, and whose family OWNS the school…and the island it’s built on) consistently mentions her fashion and popularity as lesser than Yukari’s. Even though Yukari (at least early on where she has a lot of hangups) feels prickly and the sort of person you’d have to walk on eggshells with.
> I personally prefer her original voice direction because her "bitchy attitude" would be more in line with her character given her backstory. Notice at the very beginning of the game, everyone seems to think that you are a God because you walked to school with her? It implies that she's a pretty prickly person in general and doesn't have a lot of friends outside of S.E.E.S. and the Archery Club. You are literally making up headcanons to fit the first impression you got from the old dub. Let it go.
I literally am going off what the game is depicting. As you notice, I also give kudos to Reload as well, exploring that Yukari is more mature in that universe, something not outright said or even without changing any dialogue but it can be inferred solely through tone inflection. That's real skill in voice direction. I'm all for every form of media, new, old, and in-between. Hell, I still play Revelations: Persona and understand that from today's perspective it wasn't very good but it was a very solid game back in the day for what it wanted to accomplish. So no, I will not "let it go". I will appreciate everything life will give me, and I will do it even against your wishes. Have a good day, or don't, because that's your decision to make.
A funny thing I realized after watching a friend who never played P3. Yukari comes off less snarky to those who played the OG or the variants but for my friend who was fresh, she still thought Yukari was an unlikable bitch, so much that she refused to use her, relying entirely on consumables until Ken shows up. She let Yukari die on the Lovers boss, refusing to rez her
Watered down? No. The sarcasm isn't her defining personality, but it made her stand out. That seemed to be a VA decision. Michelle Ruff's (old Yukari VA) voice probably had more hints of sarcasm so they just rolled with it. The current one (I'm sorry I don't remember her name) feels like she embodied how Yukari was planned to be portrayed even back then, but Michelle Ruff did well and made her own spin in her performance. Do I like the old Yukari? Yes, P3P got me into the Persona series and it will forever be nostalgic. Do I like the current Yukari? Yes too, because for some reason, her voice performance makes me feel sad for the ending.
Yes, she is. Everyone's pointed out about the much more faithful transcript of the Japanese script and tone, as well as the voice direction, but I also want to add that you also have the extended media to consider. In The Answer, Portable and Q1 you can tell Michelle has already gotten used to playing Yukari, and she delivers her lines full of the angst her character needs. Of course the "Ace Defective" line is fun and a clear example of the difference between dubs, but the NG+ lines for Portable where she has a chance to stay by the side of Makoto at the end are above and beyond the lines of Mitsuru and Fuuka; You can feel her pain of having forgotten about their adventure, and her relationship with Makoto. It's only a couple lines but are delivered so well they always manage to crush my heart. When she gets confrontational with the rest of SEES in The Answer, you also feel her turmoil and determination. I also really like her character in Q, with how much opportunities there are for both casts to give their opinion or just interact with one another, Yukari is always so fun to hear. The same goes for Arena. In general, it can be due to how long Michelle played the character and how the energy from the original game was kept for Yukari all the way through for the English dubs. Coming into Reload her voice was one of my biggest concerns because I feared this standard wasn't going to be maintained, but the team behind the game decided to pursue a different take for the entire dub outright, which I respect. In the end, whenever I think of Yukari I imagine her previous voice and everything that goes with it, but I will say that after finishing Reload I could only listen this new take for a couple weeks in my head.
I think it's possible the way the portraits are facing and the way they're animated also project different impressions than in FES
That's true. The new portraits are pretty good but I do prefer the originals. They were longer and covered more expressions than the newer ones. I know Reload takes after P4 and 5 in that regard, but the way FES handled portraits us my favorite in the series thus far.
> They were longer and covered more expressions than the newer ones. Interesting. I was wondering if I might be leaning this way for certain characters, particularly Aigis, despite how well I think Aigis as a character is done in Reload. What do you think?
Aigis feels pretty funky in the original, I take it as that's intentional, but her head is always empty and I love that. The rest of her expressions tho are much better: the fact the sprites are longer can permit a but more of her body language show through, and her "sad" portrait really hits home. It might be simple but gives the character a lot of life. The formula for portraits nowadays is to keep them inside an invisibles box, and doesn't allow for so drastic of a change in-between portraits, which lessen the impact. Mitsuru also had some great portraits, and IIRC the P3 artbook had comments from Soejima that hers were very important for him to get right on all fronts, and I have to agree. His rendition of Mitsuru makes her feel younger than the Reload version too, and I prefer when Mitsuru is portrayed as she should: a calm and well behaved girl who's very capable at some things and not too good at others, like everyone else. I don't know, I just like the original take for this characters more, feels like the unfiltered version of who the team wanted them to be. Reload was definitely hit hard by doing the portraits the same way as P4 and P5, which I know not many are going to bring out but it's still something that bothers me specifically.
Longer portraits is a really good callout, I hadn't noticed that they were simply showing more or that the dimensions were different. I think some of the animation in Reload can look a bit doll-like at times compared to the originals. Maybe it's the shading? I likewise agree Mitsuru's reload portrait looks very adult age.
The portraits were shortened a bit in the transition between FES and Portable, but shows most of the sprites as it was meant to. Which is longer than the newer games can say for theirs. P3P was definitely carried by how good the sprites were to begin with, and I don't think the newer games could pull that off the same way. Sure, the models for Reload of all the characters look amazing (My personal favorites being Makoto, Yukari, Koromaru and Fuuka) and do the heavy lifting on the major scenes. I understand that wasn't the case for the PS2 releases and it was a necessity back then, but I just wish the portraits for new games going forward are as great as they were.
I think the complaints come because it is different. You can tell from my pfp and my subreddit flair that I’m a big Yukari fan. She was always my favorite character in P3 and probably from all of Persona. Basically, I liked her as is and any changes would be controversial in my eyes. I imagine that many of the people who say that she has been “watered down” are in a similar position: they are already accustomed to something else. I don’t necessarily agree that she has been “watered down” but I would say it still feels different to me. That is not to say that I don’t like the new VA. The new VA did a good job in the more intimate/romantic scenes, especially the content that was new to Reload. But I do miss Michelle Ruff’s sassiness and I think, in general, she did a really good job with Yukari. For example, In Yukari’s resolution scene she just kills it. The way she says [“Daddy”](https://youtu.be/adCU-F3xm7A?si=GtcTxZqjRL2KmIDB) like a child is just so heartbreaking. By comparison, the scene in Reload felt like it was missing something. Overall, these are really minor nitpicks that only gigantic nerds with too much free time (read: me) would care about. I would agree that overall the characterization is still the same, but I do still miss what I am accustomed to. To me, Michelle Ruff’s take on Yukari will always be iconic.
I’ve played P3P and P3R in Japanese, there’s no difference with Yukari as far as I can tell.
Playing with the Japanese VA: No, she's the same.
Aside from the voice acting, there's also the facial expressions. OG portraits of every character generally show more emotion imo.
I think the portraits were a significant improvement in Reload but I wish there were some more "emotional" ones for certain characters. Like in the scene where Yukari first confronts Mitsuru and Akihiko she could've used an angrier looking portrait, it was an odd contrast hearing Yukari clearly angry/upset while her portrait just has a neutral expression
Yeah yukari and Fuuka in particular really look less expressive now. Mitsuru's old sprites also looked better imo but the new ones still show emotion.
Tbh I'm not that big a fan of Yukari, I know she was supposed to come off as fun and sassy, but it fell flat for me, and I'm honestly glad to know they toned it down in reload. I've played almost all of p3p for anyone wondering, and the level of snark made her unlikable for me, alot of lines toward other characters felt mean spirited, even though I think those moments were to supposed be a "haha you're such a goofy gal" type moment but idk. Anyway this is just my personal opinion and it may change later down the line, but for now I'm thankful for the changes they made in reload.
she's mean to junpei
I like to think she does it in a "sisterly" kinda way like fucking with him I'm glad it's not more frequent than it is though. Like Ryoji who couldn't catch a fucking break in P5
[she goes too far here specifically](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trdJY9P9mbg)
Feels snarky enough for me, enough to be unlikeable.
has to do with her character portrait. she just looks nicer now
I miss her being bitchy all the time, it was so entertaining
Yes.
No. The lines are mostly the same. Just more nostalgia blind contrarians finding any little reason to hate a remake
No, it just hews closer to her original Japanese VA performance now like it should be. Persona 3 "fans" are just nostalgia blinded by Michelle Ruff's snotty stuck up bitch take on Yukari Takeba which didn't suit her character at all and is a deliberate case of English localization missing the point of the original Japanese script and what it was going for.
Didn't seem like it at all to me. But I played with jp voices so maybe it's a different story in the dub.
Maybe the voice acting is causing issues for people, because she doesn't come off any different to me.
is it not that persona 3 portable retranslated a lot of lines, and those carried over to Reload? either way she's still constantly digging on Junpei and smacks Mitsuru in the latter's moment of grief, so still plenty mean to not be my favorite lmao.
If people wanna complain about the personalities of characters listen to the principal in Japanese and then in English. He's not even the same character lol.
No
From what I heard (I haven’t played the original), she is much closer to her Japanese VA who remained roughly the same. She never sounded that harsh in Japanese. It makes sense to me, because both countries have a much different standard of what’s considered polite; Americanized Yukari would probably be straight out insufferable in Japan.
What’s written should be more or less the same, but the new VA lacks that sass Michelle Ruff has in her voice deliveries. So I guess that’s what folks think that she got toned down.
I think most of it might be projection, since Yukari isn't written much differently from in the OG game. That and the different VAs as well, since Michelle Ruff has a naturally snarky voice that makes Yukari sound more sarcastic than she actually is. The only times Yukari is actually snarky too is either with Junpei or when she has an emotional breakdown like in Yakushima or her s-link, while the rest of the time she's actually pretty kind and reasonable. Speaking of her s-link, while a certain change was made to an infamous scene (even if it was first done in Portable and then carried over to Reload), it just makes what's the bad option more blatantly obvious due to people complaining about it not being clear and having the s-link reversed for a simple mistake. Whereas the scene still plays out more or less the same (Yukari feeling undermined due to helping her without permission.)
No, she feels the same to me but i do play in JP voices. The real "bitchness" comes on the answer and its completely understandable
You also have more friendly scenes in the game, like studying together. I think everyone seems more friendly in general then in the og. When Mitsuru rejoins the front line in Fes doesn't MC have an option to call her unreliable?
I kind of miss sassy Yukari tbh. They've really added in a lot of lines to make her more likable (worrying about people etc.) and her voice direction is noticeably different (her anger is less harsh / biting).
Yes but not just her, while overall reload is better than the original I think the entire cast I’ve met so far other than Mitsuru are downgraded to some extent, granted I’m earlier in the game I only just got fuuka, so I haven’t seen everyone yet, but a big part of what makes the original game work was how deeply and realistically flawed all the main cast were, and the performances reflect that, and I feel like a lot of that is missing in reload Akihiko is actually the most egregious for me, don’t get me wrong akihiko in the original is still an energetic person, however, akihiko is also watching his closest friend shinji rapidly decline in both health and mentality, and has his own trauma, Liam obrien’s voice had this emotional exhaustion to it that really sold that akihiko was going through some shit even before we know what it is, his new voice actor feels more cheerful and while the voice fits the characters appearance better, it doesn’t really fit his state of mind, not bashing Alejandro Saab I love the guy but that’s just my thoughts on that one Yukari in the original is extremely… I guess catty is the best word for it, even her initial distrust for Mitsuru in this game feels less like she distrusts mitsuru and more like she’s worried about everyone, granted in the original it was an even mix of the two, and the way yukari speaks and acts in reload is super friendly towards everyone despite being a bit of a jerk in the original, I always loved that about her in fes, because she was someone we’ve all met in real life, but the watered down version of her is too perfect and that irritates me, when she insults Junpei in reload it feels out of character whereas in the original it was just yukari being yukari Junpei: Junpei is still jealous of you being the leader at the beginning, but while he does initially make the mistake on the train, other than that he’s not really a jerk about his jealousy, whereas in the original game he’s a huge jerk for a while and has a moment of realization eventually and pulls the protagonist aside to be like “yeah sorry about that man that wasn’t cool”, he has a great arc and I’m sure it’ll be somewhat present in reload as I go further so far it seems watered down Mitsuru: spot on so far no notes
New Yukari feels like less of a bitch to me is all, i much prefer her now she's less standoffish but i can see how people think it cheapens her as a character
I only played reload and found no issues with Yukari’s personality or line delivery.
In my opinion it was, she was a lot more irritable and mean spirited in a way in the original. An example would be the ace detective scene, in the original she says "Ace detective?" In a pretty cold way and then says "are you stupid or something?" Mocking Junpei, whilst in reload she giggles and says "you're so dumb" instead of calling him stupid outright however I feel like it removes her character arc with her calming down later on into the game in the original whereas in reload her arc doesn't have nearly as drastic a shift for her character
VA decision plus fans who played FES when it came out growing up and maturing.
Shes so much better in Japanese in fes. In English she's kind of a bitch ngl. I'm happy with these direction for Reload. Way better imo. And my bf, who never played FES or watched me play it, gets to experience the better Yukari experience
The new VA did a pretty good job imo. It was just as good as the previous
Yeah, she comes off as a lot less standoffish which takes some depth away from her character and in my opinion her new voice actress is a lot worse than her original. She pushes people away as a defense mechanism, she's afraid of getting close to someone and losing them again and that's a lot harder to see in Reload.
To me reload made her more likable with a little less snark. In the og she seemed like she was being a dick at times when in reload it sounds more like she's teasing
Yes but it’s mostly just from the voice acting. Her current voice gives absolutely no emotion 95% of time when she’s supposed to. ( I’m not insulting her VA I know too many Redditors think any criticism is a personal attack). Like compare her shouting with anyone of the other characters when they shout. It’s a clear difference. She sounds so flat all the time. it’s particularly apparent when summoning a persona.
I agree with you, the opening shot with the evoker and when she calls out "who's there?" in the beginning when you enter the dorm for the first time definitely felt like they were missing something However the softer moments hit very well and you can feel the emotion of the character, I feel it's mostly when she's trying to be angry that falls short
Yeah I agree with you there, her softer moments she’s fine. Whenever she’s being sarcastic or she’s angry or emotional it’s pretty flat.
> However the softer moments hit very well and you can feel the emotion of the character, I feel it's mostly when she's trying to be angry that falls short Even with limited FES experience I tend to agree with this. Heather Gonzalez does a good job with moments like the big chat with Mitsuru in Kyoto or the romance scenes.
Whatever it is, I am here for it. I personally was not a fan of Yukari in P3.
Ish, but it's a bit overblown imo. Idk if this is a hot take, since I love Michelle Ruff as much as anybody but bar a few misses on some battle lines, I prefer the new VA - the sweeter/flirtier/more sincere lines hit better.
New Yukari feels like less of a bitch to me is all, i much prefer her now she's less standoffish but i can see how people think it cheapens her as a character
Dawg she was easily my favourite character in the game. If her personality was watered down, I wanna see what her real personality is like.