Persona 3 The Movie: No. 3, Falling Down

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Persona 3 The Movie: #3 Falling Down is a 2015 Japanese animated film and the third installment in the Persona 3 movie series. It’s based on Atlus’s Persona 3 game, directed by Keitaro Motonaga, written by Jun Kumagai, and produced by A-1 Pictures with distribution by Aniplex. The running time is 87 minutes.

Plot (easy-to-understand summary)
- Junpei is kidnapped by Chidori Yoshino of the group Strega during a battle with Takaya, Jin, and the Shadow Arcana Hanged Man. Makoto is knocked unconscious and briefly sees a vision of Pharos telling him he must leave.
- Makoto wakes up and, with his friends, defeats the Shadow Arcana and saves Junpei.
- After their victory, the group plans a celebration, but the Dark Hour returns. They confront Ikutsuki, who reveals he manipulated recordings to push a plan that could end the world, called “The Fall.”
- Ikutsuki uses Aigis to threaten the SEES team. Takeharu Kirijo shoots Ikutsuki, who dies from his injuries.
- The betrayals and losses strain Makoto and his friends, and Makoto starts pulling away from the group. Junpei grows closer to Chidori.
- A new semester begins and a transfer student, Ryoji Mochizuki, joins Makoto’s class. Ryoji clashes with Aigis but tries to befriend Makoto, and they start a “Helping Out” club.
- The group goes on a school trip to Kyoto. Yukari consoles Mitsuru, who is struggling with her father’s death and Kirijo Group responsibilities.
- Back at the hotel, a humorous hot spring scene gets interrupted when the girls discover the boys; Aigis threatens them with a gun.
- Chidori tries to flee with Takaya. Junpei stops her from acting rashly, and Chidori reveals her fear of death when she’s with him. Takaya shoots Junpei, but Chidori sacrifices herself to revive him and confesses her love. Junpei’s Persona and Chidori’s merge into a new form, Trismegistus, and they, with Makoto’s help, defeat Takaya and Jin.
- In December, Aigis regains part of her memory as the Dark Hour returns. On the Moonlight Bridge, Ryoji is revealed to be Death, a Shadow Aigis had once sealed, and a direct confrontation begins.
- Makoto starts to remember the night his parents died, and he rushes to the bridge to find Aigis defeated and Ryoji standing over her, setting up the next films.

Sequel
- The film ends with a tease for the next installment, Persona 3 The Movie: #4 Winter of Rebirth, which released in January 2016.

Cast (selected)
- Voices include Akira Ishida, Megumi Toyoguchi, Kōsuke Toriumi, Rie Tanaka, Hikaru Midorikawa, Mamiko Noto, Maaya Sakamoto, Megumi Ogata, and Kazuya Nakai.