Persona 3 Portable Social Link Guide: Full S-Link Walkthroughs & Dialogue Options
Social Links are a vital part of the slice-of-life gameplay in Persona 3 Portable. While you'll be spending a lot of time taking on dark forces and demons, an equally huge part of the adventure is school life, making friends, and forging close bonds - known in this game as social links. As well as opening up more story, each S-Link also carries gameplay and battle bonuses for progressing them.
Keeping track of all of the social links can be difficult, which is where this comprehensive Persona 3 Social Link guide comes in to play. Consider this guide a hub - but on the pages linked out from here, you'll be able to find out how to start each S-Link, which belong to romanceable characters, and how to rank each link up fast, as in Persona time on the in-game calendar is precious.
This guide and its connected pages will contain minor spoilers for the identities of Persona 3 Portable social links - but it's also designed to be used as you play, and so it's extremely spoiler-light and safe to use. We recommend you not scroll any specific S-Link guide past the rank you're currently on, however.
Persona 3 Portable Social Link guide: S-Link System Primer
What you likely want is the S-Link guides for each individual character. And don't worry, they're below. But first, we want to make some things about the social link system in Persona 3 - and our guides - clearer:
- Social Links all start in slightly different ways. Some are automatic as you progress Persona 3's story. Some need to be sought out and initiated. Some have triggers that must be tripped elsewhere in the game before they become available. Each guide explains how that S-Link is unlocked - so if you're missing one, just check the page of the link in question.
- S-Links differ depending on your protagonist. While they have many shared S-Links, there are a good number that are exclusive to either the male or female protagonists of Persona 3 Portable. All are listed on this guide. Shared S-Links may have different dialogue and scenes between the two lead characters - and we list the options for both in those guides.
- Dialogue Options matter (sometimes). The fastest way to level up an S-Link quicker than the default speed is by saying things the character you're spending time with likes. That's primarily what our guide does - it tells you what to say to each S-Link to hit max rank sooner.
- The Arcana Bonus Matters. Persona 3's Arcana Bonus is achieved by having a Persona of the same Arcana as the S-Link in your party. Yukari is the 'Lovers' Arcana S-Link, for instance - so every time you spend time with Yukari, you should have a Lovers Persona with you. This will speed up the S-Link rank up process. You can switch out Persona in the Velvet Room.
- S-Links are available at different times. Every character has their own schedule, so you'll only be able to spend time with your social links when they're actually available. We list broad availability and location details on each link's individual walkthrough.
- Rewards are more sparse in Persona 3. If you're used to later Persona games, S-Link ranks come with more rewards, including combat and battle unlocks. These are absent in Persona 3, and it's by design - but S-Links are worth ranking for other reasons.
Romance Options & S-Links
To be entirely honest, the Romance Options and Romanceable character sub-plots in Persona 3 Portable are nowhere near as fleshed out as in later Persona games. With that said, there are a few options.
- The Male Protagonist can romance Yukari, Mitsuru, Fuuka, Chihiro, Yuko, or Aigis.
- In fact, all of these characters automatically progress to a romantic relationship as you rank them up - meaning if you rank 10 them all, you'll, er, be dating them all. At once.
- There is no punishment in Persona 3 Portable for going 'harem mode' in this way, for whatever reason - while vanilla Persona 3 had that feature, it was stripped out for P3P.
- The Female Protagonist can romance Akihiko, Ryoji, Ken, and Aigis.
- Unlike the male lead's romance options, there is an option to stay platonic friends with these characters instead - our guides cover the points where this is defined.
- There's no Social Link or Romance with Elizabeth or Theodore from the Velvet Room - but there are 'dates' with them accessed by completing their Requests.
Persona 3 Portable Social Link Choices & Walkthrough guides
Yukari Takeba social link guide (Lovers)
Available to both of the protagonists of Persona 3 as a social link, Yukari is one of the first friends you'll make as part of the SEES squad - and also, for the male protagonist, a potential love interest. Our guide will help you to max out her S-Link quickly, unlocking better fusion possibilities for the Lovers Arcana, seeing her story, and even kicking off her romance, if you're so inclined.
Junpei Iori social link guide (Magician, Female MC)
Another core member of your playable cast of Tartarus-spelunking SEES members, Junpei has an interesting past - and it's one players can dive into more deeply on the female protagonist route added to Persona 3 Portable. He's not a romance option - but you'll learn about why that's the case as you play his story, which our guide will help you to do efficiently.
Mitsuru Kirijo social link guide (Empress)
As well as welcoming you back to the dorm every night, Mitsuru is sort of the glue that holds the SEES squad together, and a particular fan-favorite of the Persona 3 crew. For the male lead she's also a romance option, while the female protagonist can enjoy a close friendship if you rank up her S-Link, which our guide will help you to do.
Akihiko Sanada social link guide (Star, Female MC)
Akihiko might seem overly serious, but the female protagonist of Persona 3 Portable can fire up his S-Link and discover a softer side - and, if you so wish, push for a romantic relationship. This is the rare link in Persona 3 that it's possible to accidentally break - but our guide will ensure you avoid that.
Fuuka Yamagishi social link guide (Priestess)
When you're in Tartarus, Fuuka will act as your navigator - and with our guide, we'll happily be your navigator for her S-Link relationship, which can be undertaken by both leads to get a greater read on the make-up of your team. For the male MC, she can be romanced, too.
Aigis social link guide (Aeon)
The Aigis social link wasn't actually in the original version of Persona 3, leaving her as a surprisingly distant character despite her importance. That's been remedied in Persona 3 Portable, where she now has a full social link sub-plot that can also turn romantic.
Koromaru social link guide (Strength, Female MC)
Exclusive to the female lead of Persona 3 Portable, you can actually have a social link... with a dog. Persona 3 was ahead of the curve, making this a feature way before 'can you pet the dog' accounts appeared all over social media.
Ken Amada social link guide (Justice, Female MC)
The Ken Amada S-Link was always something of a controversial one when it was added to Persona 3 Portable for the new female lead, since it allows you to start quite an intimate relationship with a very young character. Cute or creepy? You decide as you advance the link rank with our dialogue choices!
Shinjiro Aragaki social link (Moon, Female MC)
Shinjiro didn't have a social link in base Persona 3, but they added an exclusive one for the female protagonist. This link is unique in that it can, in a small way, influence some of the events in Persona 3's broader story - but only if you rank it up before a certain time. Our guide explains all.
Kenji Tomochika social link guide (Magician, Male MC)
Keiji spends a lot of his time obsessing over older women and how he has a crush on his teacher, but there's more to him than that... but not that much more, honestly. Our guide will help you to know what to say to make him happy and hit top S-Link rank.
Hidetoshi Odagiri social link guide (Emperor)
Hidetoshi might seem like an uptight square at first, the worst kind of person to be friends with at school, but there's more to him than meets the eye. Our dialogue options guide will help you to keep on his good side and max out the Emperor S-Link.
Bunkichi & Mitsuko social link guide (Hierophant)
The only social link in Persona 3 Portable that involves two characters in one link, both versions of the lead character can visit and get to know this elderly couple in one of the many stores found in the game. You'll need to do something very specific to fuse this friendship though, which our guide explains.
Kazushi Miyamoto social link guide (Chariot, Male MC)
The male protagonist's sporting club friend, Kazushi also has some sport-related problems that are pretty brutal - and you can help him to tackle them. Our S-Link guide has all the right dialogue choices to push Kazushi in the right direction, and hit max rank as quickly as possible.
Rio Iwasaki social link guide (Chariot, Female MC)
If you've played the next Persona game, you might vaguely recognize Rio, as she actually crops up during that game's story for a brief cameo. Even if not, though, this sporty student can be a strong friend to the female protagonist, and is kicked off when you join the Tennis or Volleyball club. After that - we've got the conversation options for you, to make it easy.
Chihiro Fushimi social link guide (Justice, Male MC)
A quiet and bookish type, Chihiro works for the student council, which is where you'll first encounter and meet her. Exclusive to the male lead, she's also a romance option if you so choose. She represents the Justice Arcana, making for a strong case for ranking up for Persona fusion.
Maya social link guide (Hermit, Male MC)
A very unique social link in the Persona series in general, the social link with 'Maya' features an online relationship conducted through an MMORPG on the verge of death. Can true friendship bloom online? And just who is Maya? Our s-link choices guide will help you to find out.
Saori Hasegawa social link guide (Hermit, Female MC)
Despite being one of the older students of Gekkoukan High, Saori has a hard time of things, and players will be end up meeting her and having the option to help her out after joining a school committee. She's the female lead's Hermit arcana representative.
Keisuke Hiraga social link guide (Fortune, Male MC)
A classic story of struggling with parental expectation, the Keisuke S-Link will see the male protagonist help this school friend navigate a tricky family situation - and if you hit max rank, you might just change his life. We have all the dialogue options to do it fast.
Ryoji Mochizuki social link guide (Fortune, Female MC)
Ryoji has a major role to play in Persona 3 regardless of which protagonist you are, but if you're playing as the female MC, you'll have an opportunity to get to know and rank up a social link. If you can get it to max rank quick enough, it can be very enlightening. This guide will help you to not make a mistake that could lead to a bad ending.
Yuko Nishiwaki social link guide (Strength, Male MC)
Another sports friend, albeit of the management kind, Yuko is a major character and a romance option for the male lead character of Persona 3. Meeting her is almost but not quite compulsory, but our guide will make sure you don't accidentally miss out on her, then help you to max out her Strength S-Link.
Maiko Oohashi social link guide (Hanged Man)
Maiko is younger than most social links, but it's an opportunity to help a struggling young person, and net some Hanged Man Persona fusion bonuses while you're at it. Our guide lists all the best dialogue options to rank her S-Link up efficiently.
Bebe social link guide (Temperance)
The story of Andre Laurent Jean 'Bebe' Geraux is a stand-out, largely because Bebe is a foreign exchange student in Japan for a limited time. This is an easily-missed social link, but our guide will help you to start and max out the link fast.
President Tanaka social link guide (Devil)
Tanaka is the rare social link character that also puts in an appearance in another non-spin off Persona game - players of the fourth entry in the series might recognize him. This is an easily-missed S-Link - but our guide will make sure you start it and then max it efficiently.
Mutatsu social link guide (Tower)
If you've ever wanted a hard-drinking, cigar-chomping Bhuddist Monk for a pal, then Persona 3 Portable has you covered - and you'll want to get to know Mutatsu. Starting his S-Link is a little obtuse, but our guide will make sure you don't miss him.
Mamoru Hayase social link guide (Star, Male MC)
You'll need courage to strike up a conversation and relationship with Mamoru, but once you do it'll be worthwhile, with an interesting storyline that's worth experiencing. Our guide will help you to start and advance the link.
Nozomi Suemitsu social link guide (Moon, Male MC)
Known as 'The Gourmet King', Nozomi is honestly one of the weaker social links not just in Persona 3, but across the whole series. You might want those sweet Moon Persona fusion bonuses, however - and we can help you to get them while minimizing time spent on this fairly tedious plot.
Akinari Kamiki social link guide (Sun)
One of the most memorable social links not just in Persona 3 but in the series at large, while not compulsory in many ways it could be argued that the Akinari S-Link ties more closely into Persona 3's overarching themes than any other. Our S-Link guide will help you get to know him before it's too late.