With the release of Persona 4 Golden on Steam, there has been a resurgence of gamers playing through the game. While it is a challenge to complete the social links all on the first playthrough of the game, it can be done if one budgets their time well. For the players who have trouble, here is a list of the social link stories and final Personas earned from them.
Magician — Yosuke Hanamura
Yosuke's social link is the first that caned obtain in Persona 4 Golden. On April 16 in the game, the player initiates the social link with the Magician arcana after he and the protagonist journey into the Midnight Channel to investigate Saki Konishi's death. The player can typically find him in Classroom Building 2F of Yasogami High School or at the Junes Department Store when he and his father work. Through Yosuke's social link, the player learns of his pressure as the son of Junes' manager in a town that doesn't like the store. While he is typically associated with the department store by Inaba's citizens he learns to lives out his truth separate from the town's perceptions of who he is.
Personas of the Magician arcana that the protagonist can obtain tend to have magic, particularly based in fire-type attacks. When this social link reaches Rank 10, Yosuke's persona will transform into Susano-o, and if the protagonist initiates a social link meeting with Yosuke at Rank 10 after January 10 in Persona 4 Golden, the persona will once again change and become Takehaya Susano-o. The ultimate persona the protagonist can attain when this social link is maxed out is Mada the Intoxicator.
Fool — Investigation Team
The next natural social link to be forged in the game is the Fool arcana. Instead of being tied to one specific person, this social link correlates with the investigation team and starts once the protagonist, Yosuke, and Chie Satonaka become the founding members of the group on April 17. The social link progresses as the player gets further into the game's story.
The protagonist is the wielder of Fool arcana, and since the card signifies endless possibilities, the personas the players can summon with this arcana tend to be jack of all trades. When this social link is maxed out, the player can create the ultimate persona Loki, the Shape-shifter.
Chariot — Chie Satonaka
Chie's social link is initiated the day after the investigation team is formed when the protagonist and Yosuke return from their second exploration into the Midnight Channel on April 18. Chie can be found throughout the game on the Rooftop of Yasogami High School or somewhere in the Central Shopping District. When the protagonist chooses to further the social link with her, the player finds that Chie struggles with her image as a tomboy and feels that she lacks any talents. As the player gets closer to her, she becomes more confident that she'll find her special skill with the protagonist's help and support.
Chariot arcana personas tend to be more physically based, just like Chie's Tomoe. When Chie's social link reaches Rank 10, her persona transforms into Suzuka Gongen, and if the player has another social link meeting with her after January 10 at the max rank in Persona 4 Golden, her persona will chance once again and become Haraedo-no-Okami. The ultimate persona of the Chariot arcana earned by maxing out this rank is Futsunushi, the Divine Sword.
Aeon — Marie
Marie's social link can be unlocked anytime after April 18 by taking her out of the Velvet Room. After this is initiated, the player can find her in the south of the Shopping District in front of the Velvet Room. Throughout her social link, the protagonist will attempt to help her regain her forgotten memories that are related to an ancient bamboo comb, but as they get closer, Marie decides to give up on recovering her past and commits to making new ones with the player character. If the max rank is reached before December 31, a dungeon called Hollow Forest will be unlocked on February 13.
Many personas of the Aeon arcana have an affinity with the Light element. When the protagonist gets to Rank 10 with Marie, he will be able to summon the ultimate Aeon persona Kaguya, the Moonlit Night's Visitor.
Strength — Kou Ichijo or Daisuke Nagase
The Strength arcana has two different routes in this Persona game that can be initiated after April 19 or when the protagonist joins one of two sports teams. If the player joins the basketball team, they will get to know Kou Ichijo and help him come to terms with being an adopted son in his family. Joining the soccer team introduces the protagonist to Daisuke Nagase, who needs help learning to understand his feelings toward girls. In either route, the player will encounter the other character they didn't choose as well. On days when there's practice (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays), they can be found at Yasogami High School's field, while on off days they will be hanging out at the North Shopping District.
As the name of the arcana would imply, Strength personas commonly excell in their Physical attributes and are depicted as heroes. The ultimate persona obtained with this social link is Zaou-Gongen, The One Who Demands Surrender.
Temperance — Eri Minami
The Temperance arcana social link can be found by working at the Daycare on or after April 23. Eri Minami, the lady who runs the daycare, can be found working there on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays. While the protagonist works with Eri, he helps her work through her worries trying to get to know her step son Yuuta and being her husband's second wife. When her social link is maxed out, she learns to look passed the labels that people see her and her step son with and focus on the truth in their relationship.
Personas of the Temperance arcana tend to be well-rounded and don't have specific specialization that stand out. The ultimate persona for Temperance is Vishnu, the Preserver of the World.
Sun — Yumi Ozawa or Ayane Matsunaga
The Sun arcana is like Strength in that there are two different options to obtain the social link. From April 25 on, the player can join the drama club to get to know Yumi Ozawa, or join the band to meet Ayane Matsunaga. Both can be found in Practice Building 1F of Yasogami High School on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays; however, only the person the protagonist initiates the social link with will be friends with him in that playthrough. Yumi struggles with her relationship with her estranged dying father before coming to terms with his death, while Ayame works up the courage to play her trombone in a more central way only to relinquish the position to ensure people's smiles.
Personas that the protagonist can acquire through this arcana typically excel at Light and Fire-based attacks and are typically mythological based on the celestial body, light, or fire. The ultimate persona attained through this social link is Asura, the Highest of the High.
Justice — Nanako Dojima
The Justice arcana is present in Persona 4 through Nanako Dojima, the protagonist's cousin. The social link is automatically started on the May 3 through the story. The protagonist can find her in the Dojima residence and initiate social link meetings with her whenever Dojima isn't available. Throughout the social link, the player helps Nanako process her mother's death and mend her relationship with her father. The social link will be unable to upgrade after November 5.
Justice personas tend to wield Light when they attack enemies, and they tend be depicted as angels or deities of justice. The ultimate form of the Justice arcana is Sraosha, the Scourge of Evil.
Hermit — Fox
The Hermit arcana is embodied by the Fox that spends time at Tatsuhime Shrine. Starting on May 5, the protagonist can visit Fox at the Shrine and help him fulfill the ema requests of visitors who have prayed there, and while the accepted requests may not take the whole day, returning them to Fox will. Fox also follows the Investigation Team into the Midnight Channel, and he will restore HP and SP at a price, which becomes discounted the higher the player ranks with the Fox.
Hermit personas tend to have Mental-Ailment skills and are mythological figures that usually hermits themselves. The ultimate persona of this arcana obtained at the max rank is Ongyo-Ki, the Shadow Dweller.
Hierophant — Ryotaro Dojima
Ryotaro Dojima, the protagonist's uncle and local police detective, is the player's Hierophant social link. From May 6 at the earliest, the player can meet with Dojima in the living room of his residence on select nights. Through their interactions, the player helps Dojima understand Nanako and her loneliness better while realizing the result his workaholic behavior is having on his immediate family.
The personas of the Hierophant arcana typically have no weakness, but they have no strengths either. The ultimate persona that max rank with Dojima will unlock for the player is Kohryu, the Almighty Guardian.
Jester/Hunger — Tohru Adachi
Tohru Adachi's social link is different than the others in that, while it starts off as the Jester arcana, it is revealed in the true ending to be the Hunger arcana. The social link can be initiated on May 13 at the earliest, and Adachi can be found around the Junes Department Store or Central Shopping District. While the protagonist starts the social link by initiating meetings with Adachi, after Rank 6 the social link progresses with the story. If the protagonist decides to reveal his suspicions to Adachi with a high enough rank, the arcana will reveal itself as the Hunger arcana. If the protagonist hides these suspicions and assists Adachi with disposing evidence, the social link maxes out as the Jester arcana with the Golden-exclusive Accomplice Ending.
Personas of the Hunger arcana are strong, but the card emphasizes a strength that comes from dominating others. The arcana is like the foil to the Fool, as it embodies the same qualities in a more suppressed way. The ultimate persona obtained by maxing out Adachi's social link in the true ending is Magatsu-Izanagi, the Tempter of the Void.
Clearly, there are a lot of social link options to consider when playing through the game. The first half of the game has many social link options, some of which give players added benefits like earning Yen or increasing personality scores since they are attached to various jobs the protagonist can work at. Furthermore, players who increase a social link with a character that Investigation Team, then that character will gain a special move that can inflict status ailments or have other unique elements to them at level 3. With all these aspects in mind, proceed with the characters players would like to get to know, but also make sure to rank up with party members as much as possible.
Persona 4 Golden is available now for PS Vita and PC.