The Persona franchise has always handled romance well, even in the games without Social Links. The Persona 2 duology features one of the best-written romances in the series between Tatsuya and Maya, but it’s hard to deny the appeal of romantic Social Links in Persona 3 and onwards. It’s fun getting to know one character, slowly building a romance with them over the course of a tangible, in-game year.

With the lightest setting in the series, Persona 4 is the game that best allows players to sit back and enjoy the franchise’s modern slice of life aspects. Persona 4 a more casual playthrough overall, meaning that Social Links (and their romances) ease their way in rather smoothly. But not every Social Link is a hit, and some romances are honestly better left untouched.

Updated March 18, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: The Social Links in Persona 4 are one of the many highlights of this amazing game. Each and every character that the main character can form a bond is pretty memorable and unique in one way or the other, which makes the progression of these Social Links. This is especially brilliant if the player decides to romance some of the characters that the player can get entangled with in the game, although the results can be slightly varied here. Keeping this in mind, here are all the romances in the game, ranked on the basis of how engaging they really are.

8 Yumi Ozawa (Sun Arcana)

  • Romance Unlocked:
  • Rank 10

The Sun Social Links for Persona 4 are arguably the worst in the game, if not across all three games. Both of them scrape the bottom of the barrel with conflict and neither girl has anything resembling a natural or engaging relationship with the protagonist. Of the two, Yumi’s romance is the worst. Not only is it tacked onto the end of the Social Link with no development – presenting the option only at Rank 10 – but most of the Link is spent meandering around Yumi’s bloated personal struggles.

She has issues with both her parents, forcing the main character to act more like a distant observer as opposed to an active player. There’s always a passive element to the main character when it comes to Social Link arcs, but Yumi’s takes things to an extreme and removes most of your agency as a player. Even when he does manage to interact with her in some capacity, Yumi’s presence is so overbearing that it’s hard to stay engaged in her plot, let alone develop romantic feelings for her. Of course, that’s not to say that there’s absolutely nothing engaging about this particular romance option… but you’re bound to stick to other, more fleshed-out romances. This turns Yumi into more of an afterthought, which is a shame.

7 Ayane Matsunaga (Sun Arcana)

  • Romance Unlocked:
  • Rank 8

Ayane’s Social Link isn’t much better than Yumi’s in the grand scheme of things, but it is better. Ayane is still a very bland character with an even less interesting storyline (though that’s ultimately for the best considering how suffocating Yumi’s is), but her Link developers in a way that actually features the main character and her romance is triggered at Rank 8 instead. That being said, this early trigger still does nothing to redeem this romance, mainly due to how platonic this friendship feels right before this romance can be trigger out of nowhere.

Through the player, Ayane grows out of her shell, slowly gaining not only confidence but stronger individuality as a person. It’s a nice message for anyone who feels like they need to pick themselves up, but while compelling, the story doesn’t lend itself that well to romance. It’s better contextualized, but any romance with Ayane is just shoved into the Social Link because it’s expected. It also doesn’t help that she looks like Nanako’s age, which makes the entire thing really awkward.

6 Marie (Aeon Arcana)

  • Romance Unlocked:
  • Rank 9

Added into Persona 4 Golden with quite a bit of narrative focus, Marie is one of the most contentious characters in the series. Atlus is not shy when it comes to adding new cast members to their re-release, but Golden emphasizes Marie to a point where she steals focus. She’s out of place within the game, both visually and in terms of personality. She’s jarringly written when compared to the other characters, and most of her poems are downright awful. It’s a shame, since Atlus could’ve actually approached this character differently that could’ve made her inclusion in the game more natural… but they royally dropped the ball and ended up turning her Social Link into a chore that players need to complete just so that they can gain access to the new dungeon in Persona 4 Golden.

At the same time, she does manage to develop a decent romance with the main character, and the romantic angle is held off until Rank 9 (though it’s heavily pushed). While Marie’s presence can be annoying for most of the game, P4G does give her arc enough direction where she’s mostly justified by the time credits roll. Her romance with the main character is also handled in a surprisingly mature way, with the epilogue suggesting that the two might have parted and weren’t able to maintain their relationship.

5 Chie Satonaka (Chariot Arcana)

Chie is a fan favorite for good reason. She’s fun, funny, and pulls her weight as a party member all the way to the very end of the game. That’s enough for most fans to be won over, but a Social Link can make or break a romance with a character like Chie, and Persona 4 doesn’t do that great a job in this regard. Of course, this can be a really controversial statement given just how many people absolutely love Chie’s character… but there’s no denying the fact that certain other romance options in the game are written properly with that angle in mind.

Romance ends up taking a back seat for Chie and the main character — which, granted, does make sense — but it’s disappointing that their relationship doesn’t develop as naturally as it could, especially since Chie and the main character share one of the better dynamics in the game as far as story-related material goes. Chie’s romance is held off until Rank 9, which isn’t unusual for party members, but it means there’s little time to actually dwell on the romance between her and the main character. If nothing else, her Social Link is still enjoyable and Chie’s romance-related activities all paint a softer side to the character.

4 Yukiko Amagi (Priestess Arcana)

Yukiko’s actual Social Link is mediocre and builds up to an ending that questionably robs her of her identity, but the romance between Yukiko and the player is handled well, both in and out of the Social Link. Yukiko is weird, funny, and genuinely sweet. Of the main girls, her relationship with the main character feels the most organic as far as the story’s structure goes. Rise is arguably the more natural fit for the lead, but Yukiko is introduced immediately and framed as the initial love interest. It helps that her personality is pretty alluring at first glance, with her naughty side being revealed gradually. This makes her romance feel slightly more natural, albeit not in the most noticeable manner.

There’s something inherently romantic about rescuing a princess from a castle and then slowly developing a relationship with her. This isn’t love at first sight, but an actual friendship that grows as the main character helps Yukiko find her calling – something the Link doubles down on by locking romance to Rank 9. It certainly helps that Yukiko develops quite a bit of agency herself over the course of the game & her romantic Link. As far as post-romance interactions go, Yukiko’s surprisingly flirtier and friendlier than the game’s other girls as well.

3 Naoto Shirogane (Fortune Arcana)

Naoto’s a loaded character who can be read in a lot of different ways. Her relationship with gender is fleshed out considerably in both the main story and her Social Link, but she has romantic threads tied to Kanji along with the main character. While Naoto debatably has a more natural chemistry with Kanji — by virtue of him being allowed to speak, if nothing else — her Social Link helps her work through some very personal feelings with the main character.

Naoto’s romance is triggered at Rank 8 and the relationship itself plays out well. Naoto and the main character have surprisingly solid chemistry (as much chemistry as one can have with a silent protagonist) and their relationship develops organically where the Social Link comfortably eases into romance. The detective angle at play also gives Naoto a fun way to bond with the main character while developing natural feelings for him. Most players hate the fact that they block Kanji from pursuing a romance with Naoto, but this character is simply so interesting and multi-faceted that you can’t really be faulted for pursuing this relationship. That being said, do keep in mind that pursuing a relationship with Naoto can be pretty tricky, with a wrong response making her turn you down if you propose a romantic bond instead of a friendly one.

2 Ai Ebihara (Moon Arcana)

  • Romance Unlocked:
  • Rank 9 (False Romance at Rank 6)

A controversial character with a weird Social Link that leads into a very unique romance, Ai Ebihara has one of the most dynamic arcs in Persona 4. Treating Ai like any other romance in the game actually leads to her rejecting the main character’s advances down the line. This is conveyed by Ai having the earliest romantic trigger in the game (Rank 6), but this proves to be too early, and she can’t maintain the relationship. It’s one of the best swerves in the game that adds some weight to a character who is generally self-obsessed most of the time. The fact that she interacts with other characters whom you can form a Social Link with makes this character fit brilliantly in Persona 4’s universe as well.

It’s only in getting to know Ai platonically that a lasting romantic relationship can form. By denying Ai’s advances in Rank 6, you’ll get another opportunity to reciprocate at Rank 9. From there, Ai develops into a better person with respect for others while keeping her same sassy, flirty, aggressive self. Ai and the main character make a strange pair, but a cute one nonetheless, especially if players take the time to get to know her. Of the non-playable girls, Ai has the most nuanced romance in Persona 4.

1 Rise Kujikawa (Lovers Arcana)

  • Romance Unlocked:
  • Rank 7

Rise is great character writing all around. There’s so much depth beyond the surface level when it comes to her, something the game actually uses to drive her development. Her relationship with the main character plays out smoother than with anyone else, and their romance makes a considerable amount of sense should players pursue Rise’s Social Link. Of course, this can be annoying since Rise’s Social Link almost railroads the players into romance. This shouldn’t be a surprise, given that her Arcana is ultimately the Lovers, after all.

Rise is clearly attracted to the main character from the outset, something that’s even commented on narratively. In this sense, it can feel like Persona 4 is pushing Rise too much on players – especially since her romance starts earlier than any other party member at Rank 7. That said, giving in does lead to the game’s best relationship. Rise is fun, funny, lovable, and is able to work through her insecurities alongside the main character without letting herself be defined by their relationship.

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