Everyone just wants a chance at true love, right? There's not a single gamer who knows this better than those who play the Persona games. Shin Megami Tensei either had a streak of brilliance or a streak of cruelty when they decided certain characters in Persona 3, 4, and 5 could be romanced, leaving it up to the discretion of the player who they chose. If not all of them. When it comes to being an in-game harem or a protag with a heart of gold, the choice is ours.
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So who, then, is the best girl? We took to the interwebs to do some true-love searching, including a few honorable mentions from the female protag route in Persona 3 Portable.
Updated on July 23rd, 2021 by Adriano Valente: Having set the groundwork for the series’ overall success back in 2006, Persona 3 has become a fan favorite. The game isn’t without its flaws, which is part of why some would love for Atlus to announce a remake in the near future. But Persona 3’s romance options still stand out as one of its many bright spots. Persona 3, FES & Portable offer players a wide variety of love interests to pursue, each of them with their own unique stories and circumstances. Everyone has their own personal favorites, and each social link offers something unique and worthwhile.
13 Mitsuru Kirijo
Arcana: Empress
Social Link Start: November 21st Onwards (Max Academics, Get Higest Score In An Exam)
Unlocks: Alilat (84)
Everyone loves Mitsuru. If she didn't get you in the actual Persona game, then she likely got you with her awesome dance attire in the rhythm games to follow. She's one of the first major characters the protag interacts with, and her leadership, devotion, and Empress Arcana attributes make her a no-brainer when it comes to romance. While top-notch grades are the price to pay for a chance with her, it proves to be well worth it and likely one of the most popular maxed-out social ranks in the game.
12 Yukari Takeba
Arcana: Lovers
Social Link Start: July 24th Onwards
Unlocks: Cybele (68)
She's sweet, innocent, and adorable, and also the first person the protag comes into contact with in Persona 3. Yukari is responsible for the Lover's Arcana, not unlike Ann in Persona 5.
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With very much the same vibe, the protag has the option to max out her social link which will require players to max out their Charm stats. Understandably, these things go hand in hand... After all, Yukari won't date just anyone.
11 Fuuka Yamagishi
Arcana: Priestess
Social Link Start: June 15th (Portable), June 19th (FES)
Unlocks: Scathach (64)
Fuuka is an interesting character. Not only is her design the most visually intriguing, but her romance route is a bit of a humorous one. Fuuka requires a full Courage stat max-out, mainly because the real challenge lies in the protag having to eat her cooking.
This isn't a skill she's great at and this, interestingly enough, mirrors one method of maxing out 'Guts' in Persona 5 by completing the Big Bang Burger challenge. What is it with these games and needing the courage to eat massive amounts of food?
10 Yuko Nishiwaki
Arcana: Strength
Social Link Start: Ask Her To Walk Home Twice After Joining A Sports Club
Unlocks: Siegfried (55)
Where sports are concerned, Yuko is the top star athlete. Where strength is concerned, Yuko is also your girl. She's responsible for the Strength Arcana which is, surprisingly, not all that difficult to max out.
With no prerequisites beforehand, players will find it easy to max out a social link with Yuko and from there will have the option to proceed as a romantic interest. Regardless of this fact, maxing out her social link is extremely helpful in the game.
9 Chihiro Fushimi
Arcana: Justice
Social Link Start: May 28th (Must Be Spoken To 3 Times Before)
Unlocks: Melchizedek (59)
What can be said about Chihiro? As totes cute as she is, she's incredibly socially awkward around boys and gets flustered and nervous. Her social link, while not as important as the others, is pretty easy to max out as well.
Since she's the student council treasurer, it makes sense that the player would need to pass a round of questions before having full access to her social link. Upon providing three correct answers, she's then available throughout the entire game with no additional limitations.
8 Aegis
Arcana: Chariot (Persona), Aeon (P3P, FES)
Social Link Start: January 8th Onwards
Unlocks: Metatron (87)
While it's true that Aegis isn't technically considered to be part of the romance ring that the Persona series is known for, her route does end romantically. As confusing as that is, it's her robotic origin that prevents her from feeling jealousy when the protag ranks up with another female character.
Related: Persona 5: Every Possible Romance, Ranked
Additionally, some social link characters don't react at all when they hear of the protag spending time with Aegis, for the same reason. Regardless, it's tough to max out her social link because it does appear fairly late in the game, but the story does point to some romantic feelings toward her anyway.
7 Elizabeth
Arcana: N/A
Social Link Start: Accept Velvet Room Requests
Unlocks: Kartikeya (70)
Elizabeth plays an important role in the player’s journey throughout Persona 3, serving as the main Velvet Room attendant. She is also a romance option for the male MC, though it is worth noting that she isn’t technically a Social Link.
Players can progress through her story by completing the myriad of requests she has available. Completing each one gets the player a certain reward. The completion of Elizabeth’s final dating request, available December 12th in game, allows the player to fuse Kartikeya.
6 Female Protag: Ryoji Mochizuki
Arcana: Fortune
Social Link Start: November 9th Onwards
Unlocks: Norn (62)
In Persona 3 Portable, players were given the option to choose the route of a female protag. This opened up an entirely new world, including the option to romance male characters. Of those characters is Ryoji, whose story ends in tragedy no matter which route the player takes.
With that being said, his storyline is one of the most emotional, earning him a top place on our list. Despite this, the player has just under two months in-game to max out his social link as much as possible.
5 Bebe
Arcana: Temperance
Social Link Start: May 29th (Academics 2 or Higher)
Unlocks: Byakko (56), Yurlunger (64)
Bebe’s Social Link is accessible by both the male and female MCs. While he’s not technically a romance option for either, the end of his link in the female MC’s route reveals a fondness not apparent in the male MC’s.
Once the player completes Bebe’s Social Link, he moves back to France due to familial circumstances. At the end of the female MC’s social link she will receive a letter from Bebe, telling her of his feelings for her. So while the romance isn’t pursuable in-game, it’s still written into the link.
4 Akihiko Sanada
Arcana: Emperor (Persona 3, FES), Star (P3P)
Social Link Start: May 24th (Charm 4 or Higher)
Unlocks: Helel (88)
Akihiko is a bit of a challenge as well, only because his social link requires a higher Charm level as well as correct responses during his dialogues.
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He represents the Star Arcana, so players may find it worthy to level him up as much as possible. Whether or not to take on a romance with Akihiko is another story, as his social rank must be at a level nine, at least, in order to do so.
3 Shinjiro Aragaki
Arcana: Hierophant (Persona 3, FES), Moon (P3P)
Social Link Start: September 7th Onwards
Unlocks: Sandalphon (74)
The female protag route is filled with challenges, mainly consisting of nearly unrealistic time frames. While it's possible to max out Shinjiro and make it to his romance link, the player must do so on the three days he's available, in a span of roughly one month.
His arcana is the Moon, which also proves worthy. In fact, each arcana that the male characters are associated with within Persona 3 Portable are quite valuable, so time management is key.
2 Ken Amada
Arcana: Justice (P3P)
Social Link Start: September 1st (Max Courage)
Unlocks: Melchizedek (59)
Ken plays an important role in the original Persona 3, but his character is expanded upon considerably in Portable. Ken is given a Social Link in the female MC route, occupying the Justice arcane link instead of Chihiro.
Like most of the male SEES members, Ken is a possible romance option in Portable. Ken’s Social Link really provides some much needed insight into his past and how that affected him going into the events of the game.
1 Theo
Arcana: N/A
Social Link Start: Accept Velvet Room Requests
Unlocks: Kartikeya (70)
The opposite character of Theo would be Elizabeth, who is also nodded to romantically in Persona 3. The reality of Theo's social link is that, similar to Elizabeth, he requires completed side quests in order for the relationship between him and the protag to improve.
By completing his requests, the protag will grow closer to Theo. This seems a bit odd considering most Persona games that came before didn't allow as much independent interaction between the Velvet Room characters and the protag, at least not to a point of being this personal.