Persona 3 Portable Social Links That Should Have Been in Persona 3 Reload

Highlights

The female protagonist's Social Links in Persona 3 Portable were popular among the community, since it included Social Links for the male party members in SEES.
Linked Episodes in Persona 3 Reload serve as "abridged Social Links" for the guys in SEES, but some believe they still fall short and would have preferred their Social Links from Portable.
Several Social Links for the male protagonist could have been replaced by the female protagonist's Social Links for Reload, such as swapping out Nozomi Suemitsu for Shinjiro Aragaki.

It's been stated that Persona 3 Reload is a remake of the original Persona 3, and this is evident in the lack of a female protagonist (who was exclusive to Persona 3 Portable) and The Answer. While The Answer has been listed as part of Persona 3 Reload's DLC expansion pack, some fans of Portable's female protagonist, Kotone Shiomi, remain disappointed. However, it's not just Shiomi that longtime Persona 3 players wanted to see in a full remake.

Persona 3 Portable

Franchise: Persona
Platform(s): PC , PSP , PS4 , Switch , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
Released: July 6, 2010
Developer(s): Atlus
Genre(s): JRPG

Prior to Persona 3 Reload's release, fans were hoping that several Social Links from the male protagonist's route and the original Persona 3 would be replaced with the female protagonist's Social Links from Portable. This ended up not being the case. Fortunately, Reload includes a new feature called "Linked Episodes" where the protagonist can spend time with any of the male SEES members. Reaching "Episode 4" unlocks a Persona Fusion. Although appreciated, some feel it doesn't quite hit the mark like the Persona 3 Portable Social Links.

Late-game spoilers for Persona 3 Reload.

5 Saori Hasegawa

Unlock Date:	May 8
Rank 10 Key Item:	PA Recording
Requirements:	Join the library or health committee

Saori Hasegawa is a character that only appears in the female protagonist's route in Persona 3 Portable. She also made a cameo in the Persona 3 movies. Instead of Maya, Saori serves as the Hermit Social Link for the female protagonist. Saori is a member of the library (or health) committee, and while she's a sweet girl, she has a very hard time sticking up for herself. Her passiveness usually winds ups with her getting bullied and being the center of harmful rumors, which the female protagonist witnesses up close in Saori's Social Link. There are some comparisons to be made to Saori Hasegawa and Chihiro Fushimi, who is the Justice Social Link in Persona 3/Reload. Maybe having Saori would have been redundant, but it's likely she was excluded because Reload was always meant to be a remake of the original Persona 3.

persona 5 personas that should have been in persona 3 reload

6 Personas from Persona 5 That Should Have Been in Persona 3 Reload

Several Personas from Persona 5 Royal would have been great to have in Persona 3 Reload.

The Hermit Social Link in Persona 3/Reload is Maya, an online gamer you meet in an MMO. Her name and the one she gives to the protagonist's avatar, Tatsuya, and the name of the MMO are blatant references to Persona 2: Innocent Sin. As the protagonist spends more time with Maya, she opens up to him about her love for teaching and her troubles at work. She even confesses to him in Rank 10. At the end of her Social Link, Maya logs off Innocent Sin Online for good. On 3/4, visiting the Faculty Office at Gekkoukan High reveals that Maya was actually Toriumi, the homeroom teacher, and she'll learn that "Tatsuya" was the protagonist. She does not take this well.

There are mixed opinions on Maya's Social Link and her identity. While she's not a maid and calls the protagonist "Master" like Kawakami, some players aren't impressed that she asks the protagonist out for dinner before reeling herself back in. There's also Rank in her Social Link where Maya admits to crushing on one of her students, who just happens to be the protagonist. Those who find this "controversy" may have preferred Saori in place of Maya for the Hermit Social Link.

4 Ken Amada

Unlock Date:	September 1 (evenings)
Rank 10 Key Item:	Silver Key
Requirements:	Courage (Badass)

Ken Amada has a solid Linked Episode in Persona 3 Reload, and it shows everything it needs to without having to stretch it for 10 Ranks. Ken's Social Link (Justice) in Portable is very infamous, as he's one of the characters the female protagonist can "date" if choosing certain dialogue options in the Social Link. As for the male protagonist, Ken is implied to "look up" to him as a mentor, and this is shown in how he acts around the protagonist. One benefit to Ken's Social Link in Portable was that it was an evening-only Social Link.

For the male protagonist, Chihiro Fushimi represents the Justice Social Link. She starts off timid but slowly grows more confident. Unfortunately, as the Student Council's Treasurer, she's the prime suspect when the money for the council goes missing. If the correct dialogue options were selected, Chihiro would confess her love to the protagonist during Rank 9. She may not be a member of SEES, but Chihiro is a difficult Social Link to swap out.

The hangouts/Linked Episodes in Persona 3 Reload are there to substitute for Social Links for the male party members (including Koromaru). This works in Ken's favor, but prefer Social Links. Not to mention Ken and Chihiro are aligned with the Justice Arcana, so for Reload to give Ken a Social Link and keep Chihiro's Social Link, they would have to reassign an Arcana. Because of this, it's quite clear why Reload went with Linked Episodes instead of replacing the Social Links from the original Persona 3.

3 Akihiko Sanada

Unlock Date:	Any time after defeating the Priestess Shadow
Rank 10 Key Item:	Rabbit Doll
Requirements:	Charm (Queen Bee)

Akihiko Sanada was one, if not the most, popular choices for the female protagonist to romance back in Persona 3 Portable. Going through his Social Link, it's hard not to like him. Despite his outstanding reputation and fan-girls, Akihiko's a good, albeit socially-awkward, person who genuinely cares for his friends. His whole motive for getting stronger traces back to his adopted sister, Miki Sanada. Miki was an unfortunate victim of the fire at the orphanage that she, Akihiko, and Shinjiro grew up in. As a result, Akihiko wants to become stronger so that he can protect those he loves. If the player chose the correct dialogue choices throughout his Social Link, Akihiko would confess his love to the female protagonist in Rank 9, which could be reciprocated or declined.

Persona 3 Reload: 5 Scariest Personas

These Personas in Persona 3 Reload are so terrifying, they could be in a horror game!

The Star Social Link in Reload goes to Mamoru Hayase. While Hayase's Social Link isn't bad, Persona 3 already has a "sports-team" Social Link in Kazushi Miyamoto. It's debatable which of the "sports Social Links" is better, but two (three, if counting Yuko) Social Links locked in the sports club are somewhat redundant. Despite this, Hayase's story is touching, and some have even compared him to Portable's Star Social Link (Akihiko).

Reload does a good job of showing Akihiko's conflict in his Linked Episodes. However, there are still many that would have preferred him as the Star Social Link instead of Hayase. Like the other male SEES members, his Social Link would likely have needed a rewrite from Portable.

2 Junpei Iori

Unlock Date:	April 23
Rank 10 Key Item:	Pig Key Holder
Requirements:	N/A, starts automatically on 4/23

Junpei and the protagonist start off well, but things get rocky after the third Full Moon Operation. This isn't any different from Persona 3, as Junpei's inferiority complex results in him giving the protagonist the cold shoulder - regardless of which protagonist you're playing (Portable). While Persona 3 Reload's Linked Episode helps the protagonist to understand Junpei better, his Social Link in Portable is renowned by most Persona 3 fans. He's even the only male SEES member that the female protagonist cannot date.

Loyal to Persona 3, the Magician Social Link for the protagonist in Reload is Kenji Tomochika. Kenji is into older women, and his entire Social Link follows him and his one-sided "relationship" with Emiri Kanou, a teacher at Gekkoukan High. While Kenji himself isn't a bad person, his Social Link can get redundant and, at times, frustrating when P3R players are pressured to answer the "correct" responses just to get the most Social Link points. Instead of dissuading Kenji and being realistic with him, the options that net the player the most points are the ones that encourage Kenji to ask Emiri out, to go with her to Kyushu, etc. Fortunately, thanks to the protagonist for being supportive, Kenij realizes the weight of the entire situation by Rank 9 and smartens up.

Kenji's Social Link is pretty infamous among Persona 3 fans. To some, it's extremely uncomfortable since Kenji is trying to hook up with a teacher while he's still a second-year-high school student. To others, it feels wasteful when Junpei could have been the Magician Social Link for the male protagonist in Reload. If Junpei's Social Link had "made the cut" for Persona 3 Reload, then there's no doubt it would be heavily re-written to accommodate the male protagonist, which may be a reason why Reload stuck with five "Episodes" instead.

1 Shinjiro Aragaki

persona 3 reload shinjiro aragaki p3 protagonist

Unlock Date:	September 7 (evenings)
Rank 10 Key Item:	Leather Watch
Requirements:	N/A, but has a deadline on 10/4

Shinjiro Aragaki was in the original Persona 3, but he wasn't a Social Link nor could the protagonist spend time (i.e, Linked Episodes) with him like he can in Reload. However, he was swapped out for Nozomi Suemitsu for the female protagonist, taking his place as the Moon Social Link. He's one of the stricter Social Links to Rank Up, as his Social Link is only available for a short period of time. Thus, it was advised to spend time with him whenever he was available. Shinjiro's a bit difficult to get to know, purposefully trying to keep the female protagonist at arm's length so that she doesn't get attached and vice versa. Ironically, maxing out his Social Link "saves" him from getting killed by Takaya (10/4). Instead, Shinjiro falls into a coma for the rest of the game. If on a NG+, he can even visit the female protagonist on 3/4.

With many different versions of Persona 5 available, some players might be confused about the differences, here's an explanation:

As stated, Persona 3 has Nozomi Suemitsu. He's not exactly a gentleman and his Social Link is mostly played for laughs. Suemitsu has his own baggage that comes to light in Rank 10, but there's a widened gap between the "comedy" of his Social Link, and the "seriousness" of it. Suemitsu is part of a cult, preaching to others that if they donate enough money, they'll "go to Paradise." This comes back to bite him in Rank 9, and by Rank 10, the protagonist learns about Suemitsu's brother, who died of food poisoning. It's a shocking change in the overall mood of Suemitsu's Social Link, and one that should have been explored much earlier. Fortunately for Suemitsu, he manages to turn himself around.

When comparing the two, it's obvious why fans wouldn't have minded if Suemitsu's Social Link had been dropped for Shinjiro. The humor in Suemitsu's Social Link isn't to everyone's taste and can get repetitive after seeing it for three Ranks in a row. Despite this, Reload's Linked Episodes for Shinjiro were met with praise, as it explored the original SEES back when Shinjiro was still in school.