Persona 3 Portable has a bunch of characters to interact with. Some are just classmates with one off lines throughout the year while others have self-contained arcs you unravel by spending time with them. These are social links, and they allow you to gain an initial experience boost on any persona fusion of the same arcana. However, it’s very easy to miss some of them and people go through the entire game without even interacting and unlocking an arcana.
This guide will let you know where to find all the social links, when to find them, and if they need any special requirements.
All Social Link Requirements in Persona 3: Portable
Some arcana can’t be unlocked until a certain date or event in the story. Others need you to unlock another arcana before them. There’s even a handful that can’t be started unless you have a certain level of charm, academics, or courage.
The Fool: SEES
This arcana is unlocked by playing through the game. It is the first social link you gain, you just need to wait for the story to progress enough. It unlocks on April 18th.
The Magician: Junpei Iori or Kenji Tomochika
The Magician is either unlocked through interacting with Junpei for the female MC or Kenji for the male MC. This is automatic as well once you hit April 24th.
The Priestess: Fuuka Yamagishi
Fuuka needs to join the team before you can unlock her social link. Starting on June 15th, you can talk to her outside the classroom. You will need to increase your courage to max (badass) for the male or the second level (ordinary) for the female.
The Empress: Mitsuru Kirijo
The Ice Queen starts warming up to you on November 21st. You’ll need to max your academics out for both protagonists. You can find her in the faculty hallway on the first floor of the school.
The Emperor: Hidetoshi Odagiri
Mitsuru introduces you to student council on May 6th. There you meet two characters: Chihiro Fushimi (Justice arcana for the male MC), and Hidetoshi Odagiri, The Emperor. You don’t need to do anything her as it will unlock on its own at the meeting.
The Hierophant: Mitsuko and Bunkichi Kitamura
You don’t need to wait around on this one as it unlocks April 25th. Visit the bookstore on the ground floor of Iwatodai Strip Mall. They’ll say something about a tree at your school. Head back to the school and head to first floor corridor. Enter the door near the stairs and you’ll be in a hallway connecting two buildings. The tree will be in the center of the grassy area. Get the leaf and return it to the old couple to start the link.
The Lovers: Yukari Takeba
Though this link can be started kind of early, good luck actually getting it unlocked ASAP. While you can interact with Yukari as early as July 28th, you’ll need the max charm before you can hang out.
The Chariot: Rio Iwasaki or Kazushi Miyamoto
Though the characters are different for the female or male, you’ll gain a same-sex friend through joining a sports club. Kazushi starts on April 23rd while Rio can be unlocked a day later.
Related: Persona 3 Portable Chariot Social Link Choices Guide
Strength: Koromaru or Yuko Nishiwaki
Koro-chan is exclusive to the female MC for the Strength arcana, so dog lovers be sure to play accordingly. While both MC’s can walk Koromaru, only the female gets the social link for the interactions. You can start his link after he joins, starting August 1st. You’ll also need to unlock Fuuka’s social link beforehand but, thankfully, the requirements for courage are light. He can be talked to at the dorm on most nights.
The male MC gets the “coach” Yuko Nishiwaki. This one requires Kazushi to be unlocked and leveled up to the second and third rank. During this time, Yuko will ask to join the MC on the walk home. Saying yes both times unlocks the conditions to start interacting with her beginning April 28th. She’s located outside the classroom.
The Hermit: Maya/Isako Toriumi or Saori Hasegawa
Isako aka “Maya” is the Hermit link for the male MC. She’s a teacher in your school and can be seeing giving questions/quizzes and information several times throughout the year. Junpei offers the MC an MMORPG and, starting April 29th, players can jump on the desk in their room to play the game.
Starting May 8th, the female MC can join either Health club or Library club and will unlock Saori.
Fortune: Keisuke Hiraga or Ryoji Mochizuki
On June 17th, the male MC can join a club like art or music to start the link with Keisuke. Once you join, attend a meeting and it’ll unlock his link.
Ryoji doesn’t appear until the later part of the game. You meet him on November 9th and his social link automatically activates.
Justice: Chihiro Fushimi or Ken Amada
As mentioned before, Chihiro is first met when you join student council on May 6th. However, she needs more to start the link. Because of Chihiro’s issue with talking to men, you’ll need to talk to her three times before she opens up to you. She’s located outside the student council room on days where they don’t meet.
Ken can’t be unlocked until Sept 1st as you need to wait for him to join the team. On top of that, you’ll need the max courage in able to talk to him. He’s available at the dorm.
Hanged Man: Maiko Oohashi
While meeting with Maiko at the shrine is simple enough, you need to do a bit more to actually start her link. You can meet her on May 9th or May 11th depending on the male or female MC, respectively, but she needs some items to talk to you. If you already have them by just buying any and everything then you’re set. Otherwise, you’ll need to get a Mad Bull from dorm’s vending machine on the second floor and a Weird Takoyaki from the stand on the ground floor at the Iwatodai Strip Mall. Once you have the items, return to her and you start the link.
Death: Pharos
Pharos is another automatic social link, in both it’s unlock and progression. The social link starts on June 12th after the MC starts sleeping in their room.
Temperance: Bebe/Andre Laurent Jean Geraux
While the Frenchman is open to learning about Japanese culture, it’s not so simple to meet him. There are two steps before you can unlock his link. First, you’ll need to get the elderly couple’s link to rank 3 and then you’ll need to translate the note on the Home Economics door. In order to do this, academics need to be at level 2 (average).
Once you’ve met the requirements, he’s available starting May 29th outside the classroom.
The Devil: President Tanaka
Another one that needs a few hoops to get it going. You’ll need to play with Maya for a while (rank 4) and she’ll tell you about the old man she ran afoul of at the mall. Or Saori mentions him once you get to rank 2.
Once you learn about it, head to Paulownia Mall at night on Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. He’s to the right of the entrance. If your charm is at rank 4 (smooth) for the male or rank 2 (ingenue)for the female, you can start talking to him. If not, he’ll dismiss you until you raise your rank.
Start talking to him and he’ll ask for money, initially 20,000 yen and then 10,000 yen the next two times you meet him. On the third meeting, the link will officially start. Players need to wait until June 4th to talk to him, though the link won’t unlock until later in the month.
The Tower: Mutatsu
Mutatsu is another one that needs more than just meeting up with them. You can find him upstairs in Club Escapade at the Paulownia Mall but you’ll need your courage to rank 4 (tough) for the female MC and rank 2 (ordinary) for the male. There’s no real start date for his link but, to learn about him, you’ll need to get Rio to rank 3 or Yuko to rank 4.
Even after that, the monk will ask you for more alcohol. You’ll need to work for it, literally. You talk to the bartender on the first floor and he asks you to take everyone’s drink order. They’ll all want different things and are indecisive so keep your wits about you when memorizing it. If you got it wrong, you’ll need to try again. If you get it right, the bartender will serve Mutatsu, officially starting his link.
The Star: Akihiko Sanada or Mamoru Suemitsu
Akihiko is a member of the team but doesn’t officially start joining missions for a while as he’s laid out with an injury. The female MC will need to wait until May 9th to interact with him but you also need your charm at level 4 (queen bee). You can look for him at the Iwatodai Strip Mall.
Mamoru isn’t available until a mandatory sports event in August during a break. You’ll race and lose against him but he’ll say that you should hang out sometime. Afterwards, you can find him at Iwatodai Strip Mall.
The Moon: Nozomi Suemitsu or Shinjiro Aragaki
Nozomi, aka “The Gourmet King”, can’t be accessed until Kenji tells the male MC about him. Starting on Sept 22nd, you can find him on a bench near the fountain at Paulownia Mall. Once your charm is rank 3 (confident), you’ll need to answer a few questions about restaurants and give him an odd morsel before he’ll start talking to you.
Shinjiro is automatically unlocked when he joins you. Starting September 7th, you can find him in the dorm.
The Sun: Akinari Kamiki
The requirements here should be fairly easy as long as you are keeping up with your studies. You’ll need level 4 academics (smart) and go through rank 3 of Maiko’s link as he’ll appear during it. Head to the Shrine on any Sunday to talk to him and he’ll mention a beast that stole his pen. This turns out to be Koromaru, who gives you the pen when you interact with him after he joins.
Once you have the pen, speak with him again and it’ll start the link.
Judgment: Nyx Annihilation Team
Date-wise, this is the last social link available. It doesn’t activate until December 31st, after the SEES group gets the resolve to continue on. It unlocks automatically after your decision.
Aeon: Aigis
Replacing “The World” in the arcana cards, Aeon’s link starts the day before Judgement’s on December 30th. You can talk to Aigis in the classroom to initiate the link.
Related: Are the Persona Games Connected to Each Other?
If you’ve made it this far that means you can’t get enough Persona 3 Portable, so check out the best Persona 3 mods to enhance your experience. In the meantime, you can also check out the Facebook page for the latest in gaming.
