Quick Links

While scaling Tartarus and fighting to end the Dark Hour is a key part of Persona 3 Reload, equally important is building relationships with acquaintances players will meet during their daily lives as a student at Gekkoukan High School. In Persona 3 Reload, growing close to these characters and forming Social Links with them helps improve the power of Personas of the same arcana when conducting Persona fusion in the Velvet Room. However, aside from this gameplay benefit, these Social Links also give players a chance to see these characters' stories play out as their bonds grow.

The added benefit of Social Links in Persona 3 Reload is the inclusion of fully-voiced dialogue for rank-up scenes, making Persona 3 Reload the game with the most amount of spoken dialogue in the series. Some of these Social Links are much more interesting than others, with clear character arcs that range from emotional to uplifting and provide the game with unique side stories. Other Social Links can be difficult to access, either being locked behind a social stat level requirement or coming late in the game, making it difficult for players to see them through to the end.

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Related
Persona 3 Reload Romance Tier List

Persona 3 Reload allows players to romance certain characters by maxing out their Social Links, but some romance options are more better than others.

S-Tier

  • Aigis – Aeon
  • SEES – Fool
  • Pharos – Death
  • Nyx Annihilation Team – Judgement

Most of the Social Links in this tier are automatically unlocked and progress as the story unfolds naturally, typically pertaining directly to the main plot of Persona 3 Reload. As such, they tend to provide the most interesting character arcs while being the most accessible to players organically making their way through the game. Social Links like SEES and the Nyx Annihilation Team are particularly tied directly to the plot, as they involve the entire main party and usually rank up after major story beats occur.

Aigis is an interesting case since her Social Link isn't automatically started and is not available until late in the game. However, her unique bond with the protagonist and the greater plot of Persona 3 Reload make her interactions with the protagonist through her Social Link some of the most endearing and heartbreaking in the game. Pharos' Social Link becomes retroactively intriguing once the truth of his identity is revealed to the player, making his past interactions with the player all the more sad yet haunting.

A-Tier

  • Bunkichi and Mitsuko – Hierophant
  • Maiko – Hanged Man
  • Yukari – Lovers
  • Fuuka – Priestess
  • Akinari – Sun
  • Mitsuru – Empress

The Social Links in the tier represent some of the most emotional in the game, leading players through highs and lows in stories largely unconnected from the game's main plot. Persona 3 Reload includes loss as one of its major overarching themes, and these Social Links do a great job of embodying that feeling. Players will get to see the elderly couple, Bunkichi and Mitsuko, struggle to deal with the loss of their son, as well as the elementary school student, Maiko, cope with her emotions following her parents' divorce in Social Links that will tug on the player's heartstrings.

The Social Links for Yukari, Fuuka, and Mitsuru also deal with different versions of loss and reveal more about the depth of these characters than what they show on the outside. Akinari has a particularly melancholy Social Link as he is dying of a terminal illness and spends his time with the protagonist grappling with his own mortality and the loss of himself. The different ways these Social Links deal with loss and personal identity support the greater themes of Persona 3 Reload while still being their own unique stories that are well worth the player's time to experience.

B-Tier

  • Kazushi – Chariot
  • Yuko – Strength
  • Chihiro – Justice
  • Maya –Hermit
  • Keisuke – Fortune
  • Bebe – Temperance
  • Mamoru – Star
  • Nozomi – Moon
  • Mutatsu – Tower

While these Social Links aren't necessarily as heartfelt or directly related to the larger themes of Persona 3 Reload, they still offer compelling stories of character growth that the protagonist helps facilitate. It can be endearing to see a character like Keisuke learn to develop his own identity separate from what his father wants or watch Chihiro come out of her shell and gain more confidence by spending time with the protagonist. These Social Links might not carry as much weight as others in the game, but they can still deliver emotional moments that make the player relate to the characters they're spending time with.

Other Social Links in this tier can be somewhat humorous or cute, like how Yuko's Social Link gives players a chance to watch her interact with and be teased by elementary school kids as their track coach. Maya's Hermit Social Link can also be somewhat nostalgic for those who grew up in the early days of the internet and remember when players would use her similar lingo in online games. These Social Links help balance the darker side of Persona 3 Reload with some lighthearted experiences that give players a break from the overarching threat of Shadows and the Dark Hour.

C-Tier

  • Kenji – Magician
  • Hidetoshi – Emperor
  • Tanaka – Devil

Although they aren't necessarily bad, these Social Links are not up to the same standards as the others and can often be awkward or uninteresting. Listening to Kenji discussing the girls of Gekkoukan and eventually his relationship with a teacher is awkward at best, and Tanaka constantly flaunting his wealth can be as irritating as the jingle for Tanaka's Amazing Commodities. Hidetoshi's entire Social Link involves trying to find the culprit behind the cigarette in the boys' bathroom, which is far less compelling than most of the other Social Links in Persona 3 Reload, making his character arc pretty forgettable as a whole.