Persona 4 Golden: Naoto Romance Route

[@nicolasmeisel]

Naoto: you needn't worry about the phantom thief anymore. MC: I know, cause baby I already taken your heart.

[@lowbeats236]

I played Five before Four so when she dropped the PT bomb i was like: "Ren dat you?"

[@alexmay2720]

I also want to live that dream

[@imkelziesss]

@@lowbeats236FR i was like “yo what wrong game 💀”

[@flongeshploff693]

Joker is SEETHING💀

[@jona_hehe3768]

2:13

[@licenciado9428]

I'm not a fan of tomboys but Naoto was my love at first sight, I hope one day I can find my naoto in real life

[@coletrainhetrick]

She's not really a tomboy necessarily, she only really pretends to be masculine out of societal pressure, not because she actively wants to be a boy. Sure being a Detective and having more masculine hobbies is something she does but she isn't an overt tomboy about it embracing masculinity. That's probably why you like her character

[@Kagetora-]

​@@coletrainhetrick she is a tomboy

[@coletrainhetrick]

@Kagetora- cool so you just actively don't like the character because you seek to trivialize them and no actually pay attention to her character

[@the.ceo.of.1sis884]

@@coletrainhetrickdo u know what a tomboy is it’s a girl who acts boyish/ likes boy things which describes naoto well the other dude doesn’t mean trans lmao because then u would definitely be right

[@coletrainhetrick]

@the.ceo.of.1sis884 I'm fully aware of what a tomboy is yet what possible example have you given to back up she is a tomboy. Being a Detective is not a tomboy activity. If anything nowadays it's the exact opposite, the field in both entertainment and people's hobbies in true crime is heavily dominated by women. My mom, sister, friends who are all women all like Detective and true crime shows yet none of them remotely behave like tomboys outside of this. Perhaps some arbitrary coincidence this is all anecdotal despite how often women are depicted as detectives in modern day. The actual issue she faces is sexism, not the fact she enjoys a masculine profession. When women were allowed to become teachers it wasn't suddenly that women were tomboy for wanting to be teachers, same goes for most professions. The only debatable claim someone is a tomboy profession wise is when they take jobs such as construction work, sports, or mechanics, jobs that are traditionally viewed as messy and laborious. Detectives aren't physically demanding, that's why it isn't ever commentated on in the massive amount of programming that involves female detectives.

[@Percival917]

I know the higher pitch is supposed to be Naoto's natural voice, but it doesn't come across that way, especially after hearing Naoto's lower-pitched voice for so long.

[@bobono]

i mean when you do one thing for so long it really becomes your normal, her natural speaking tone would be the lower tone because of how long she'd been doing it

[@danielm.5078]

You know, it's honestly a real shame that Anna Graves never came back because her voice performance sounds far more natural than Valerie Arem's (though there is the odd spotty read; I just think the voice fits the character a lot more). 10:18 That shelf looks so naked and depressing compared to the one from the playthrough. 14:42 Naoto's winter casuals still look so good. 27:41 Okay, Yosuke got me there. 33:35 This kind of addresses something I've been thinking: Naoto's romance route feels a tad... manipulative, I guess? She's gone through the most personal drama and upheaval out of anybody, so realistically I can't help but wonder if that factored into things. I hesitate to say it, but at points she definitely feels a bit moe-- not that it doesn't necessarily make sense for what she's gone through or her character, but that coming out in the romance route (which as I mentioned earlier, has the most heavily implied instance of sex in the game) puts me off a bit. The romantic bits have her become too emotionally dependent on the protagonist for me to really vibe with them much, I guess is a clearer way to put it. I think I'll just quote a tweet I saw making the rounds a while back: "Best girl" doesn't mean you want to fuck them.

[@BigKlingy]

Anna Graves does sound really good and I'm glad she's actually known to have voiced Naoto now. The other VA's for Naoto are better at sounding male during her pre-reveal phase, imo. 10:18 Yeah I kinda neglected that here, I was sleeping most nights to make the NG+ go faster. (It's amazing how much time that saves) 14:42 And no kimono for her, so you get to see them more. 27:41 This isn't "The Hentai Detective Investigates Bodies". Not that Yosuke's ever read anything like that. Not at all. 33:35 This is... EXACTLY how I feel about this. Like, 100% exactly. This is why I don't like her romance, it feels like it goes against her arc pretty heavily for the sake of moe fanservice. It actually kinda reminds me of Edelgard's romance scenes in 3H. ("Moe-fying a female love interest who's normally stoic and composed" seems to be a really common romance route trope and it's really not my thing.) And I'm in that boat too. I've said it before, Naoto is my personal "best girl", as in she's my favourite female party member, but she's my least favourite romance route. I'm actually not against Yu x Naoto in theory, I just don't want it to happen like this.

[@danielm.5078]

Mary-Elizabeth McGlynn and Valeria Arem absolutely have deeper voices, but I just don't think they work as well coming out of the mouth of a 15 year old girl. 10:18 That's the funny thing about Persona; the games theoretically aren't any longer than the standard RPG if you rush them, but taking your time to do everything adds a lot more to the game. 33:35 Somebody else alluded to Mitsuru's SL, and I'd say Naoto's is simultaneously better and worse in that regard. It makes a lot more sense for Naoto but gets pushed past the point of being comfortable; so in a way not being as dissonant makes it feel even more like it's screwing with the character, if that makes sense (whereas a lot of Mitsuru's is just awkwardly OOC for her and easier for me to ignore). (Side note: I did proofreading and had to correct myself both times I typed "Mitsuru" because I called her "Mitsuri". I barely know a thing about Legend of the Demon Slayer and don't know anybody who's into it, it's just a strangely easy typo to make). Also Merry Christmas.

[@BigKlingy]

10:18 The speedruns are still in the low-teens hour-wise, which is pretty high for a JRPG. Which usually range from 3-6 hours I find, even Xenoblade after the "get into Tephra Cave's postgame area early and level up from 10 to 50 off the landmarks" exploit was found. 33:35 That's an understandable argument. I find it funny how Haru's Confidant in P5 was pretty much a repeat of Mitsuru's, except it felt a lot more natural and in-character. Literally the only association I made with that game's name is Dunban yelling "Deeeeeeeeeeemon SLAYER!" Thanks, you too.

[@danielm.5078]

10:18 That's surprising. I guess there's a lot more to skip through? And you've also got to set up specific persona fusions and so on I guess. Wait a sec, what. Why did I think that was its name? That's not even close to a direct translation of what I was talking about (anime/manga Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba). Did I see someone else call it that on accident and it just stuck in my mind? I am so confused and confused how I got so confused over the name. My family actually sort of celebrated it today/on Christmas Eve because my older brother was stopping by, with the "main event" as it were being tomorrow.

[@4fabforever]

Agree to this one though Anna Graves voice more like girly than the 2 voice actors behinds Naoto. Wish she can reclaim her in other Naoto franchise.

[@BerserkerRohan]

I find this one intriguing since I have not seen a character like Naoto in a game I have played so it was interesting to see what her reactions were going to be like. I do like the scene with the school uniform because it shows that Naoto is less afraid to try new things because Yu is there to help her out.

[@BigKlingy]

Unfortunately her gameplay dialogue while using it still shows she's embarrassed by it. And I still don't like how it's the one costume locked behind a romance route. (Although imo having one of P5's room decorations locked behind romancing Kawakami is worse.)

[@BerserkerRohan]

@@BigKlingy I didn't know about that for Kawakami. I also wanted to show the positives of this romance route because I prefer to focus on the positive aspects.

[@ivanespinosa246]

Getting in a relationship with your friend crush while you're already in a relashionship. You are the worst (XD)

[@imkelziesss]

Lmao ikr. I noticed but no one was talking abt it

[@Reclaimer121]

Kanji seemed to have lost interest when he found out that she's a girl sooo

[@DarknessGuard]

13:20 That is a bit borderline fetish but it's a nice change for Naoto. 32:52 Bless the heavens at least one of the P4 girls doesn't kill with her cooking. 35:19 lulz, Yu, the prototype Phantom Thief.

[@BigKlingy]

32:52 Because she actually follows recipes... 35:19 And her entire SL involved a Phantom Thief case.

[@azrieldreamer]

The best girl of P4

[@BigKlingy]

I agree, but she's also my least favourite romance.

[@marklouiegarcia2588]

Yu and Naoto to me feel more of possible Canon Couple than the rest.... Not that Kanji x Naoto isn't bad, but when comparing Yu and Naoto, regardless of what Route you max her, Friendship or Romance, Naoto seems more into Yu than Kanji and there has been more evidence about it than Naoto into Kanji...

[@barongoni6653]

Ya, the reason i never really sawed kanji and naoto being a thing is that naoto shows no interest in him, cause by that point its just a one sided crush.

[@ChaldeaWarmaster]

@@barongoni6653 You can argue that Naoto doesn't have similar feelings for Yu either. But such feelings are never really established until an opportunity is given. Kanji could probably have ended up with Naoto but he's still at the point where he is figuring out what kind of guy he is that he doesn't have time to actually do something simple like asking Naoto to hang out with him. If you romanced Naoto, you are simply the first one to express your feelings.

[@barongoni6653]

@@ChaldeaWarmaster umbrella scene

[@nicolasmeisel]

Honestly. If naoto and kanji get together I wouldn't see it last. Mostly cause kanji is just gay, and I see his feelings part a crush and a teenager trying to figure out who he is. So they would date, and eventually break it off. Meanwhile naoto x Yu I see working cause, well he's a sigma Chad who the idea of love knows no gender.

[@nicbellnicastro3119]

@@nicolasmeisel A sigma xd

[@reginaldfromnigeria5206]

27:18 - 27:32: I'm sure the writers/translators had some fun with this bit...

[@TheIvoryDingo]

Just want to give a reminder that the Steam Winter Sale has once again started. And that means that the Trails series is once again on sale.

[@BigKlingy]

YES. People, please buy those games.

[@sawesomeness]

Naoto is best girl. I will fight who ever disagrees. You better drink your milk cuz I have bones of steel.

[@shinramune9002]

best girl but the worst romance routes. This didn't really thought out or translated well

[@sawesomeness]

@@shinramune9002 how dare you. You better bring your milk.

[@shinramune9002]

@@sawesomeness among us

[@otobot45]

Ah yes, best girl.

[@mewfangirl1052]

Don't think I didn't see that flash of a calling card. Clever.

[@lunaamethyst5724]

Woo! My favorite romance in the whole game! Naoto was like my first girl crush, years before I realized I liked girls. So yeah, I may be a biiit biased, but I still really like this romance.

[@Princeomishore]

same!

[@cupramyun8204]

35:18 I SAW THAT! You can’t escape me!

[@SomeAsian]

Why is it that the strong-willed girls in Persona have my least favorite romantic routes?

[@B_A-tr]

Maybe they become to much waifu as that was what i was thinking when i saw the christmas scene with her

[@BigKlingy]

It was the case with Mitsuru too. Makoto's I was mostly okay with... but hers has another problem and I'm pretty sure everyone knows what it is. (Starts with an "E") But mostly I think it's because "woobifying" a strong-willed girl is a very common romance trope, see: Edelgard in Three Houses. (Funnily enough I checked Lucina's Robin supports and that never happened with her... but you wouldn't think that with the way she's treated in the fanbase.)

[@blackskullknight9062]

@@BigKlingy Woobifying sound like an interesting word to use.

[@namoma4922]

@@blackskullknight9062 it s certainly what i think happens in a lot of those cases and at the same time i m not sure if the intention is entirely to "waifuyse" a character since someone having a soft side and acting differentely when a loved one isn't involved isn't exactly rare But it becomes too much when you can have the impression the romanced girl is a totally different person that the one you got to know

[@TheMagnanimousTyrant]

I would say that Naoto is tied with Chie for best girl but given that Chie is there from the beginning, and especially given that Naoto seems to be the only girl who really seems genuinely annoyed by you flirting at times. It's difficult. Also Chie and Naoto are both insecure in their femininity but for completely opposite reasons, and while it is obviously for the best that Naoto becomes comfortable living as her true sex instead of trying to change, I think that starting a relationship right after she chose to live as her true self might just be putting the kind of burden on her she was trying to avoid. Still you could easily constue it as support and ultimately my main concern is that every other girl clearly wants that relationship more so it seems selfish not to pick one of them instead, but if your dating multiple girls I guess selfishness isn't a concern at all.

[@TheJaredPunch]

Merry early Christmas

[@TheDarkMarioAndSonic]

Merry Christmas! I haven't been commenting since I don't think I can add anything meaningful in these videos. Just wanted to wish a nice jolly day.

[@1Tekkaman]

Easily the best character with the best romance route in the game. Sorry, Kanji, but you were never even in the running for her.

[@alexmay2720]

I understand you brother, it hurt my whole soul because of the kanji but

[@1Tekkaman]

@@alexmay2720 I find the fixation on Kanji here increasingly tiresome. What about Naoto's feelings (or in this case, total lack of them)? Why is it always only about Kanji's feelings?

[@alexmay2720]

Good point brother, however I think that Naoto is a girl who, if she could feel something for us, she could also have felt something for Kanji, however, I feel far beyond my regret that Kanji never​... I would have achieved a relationship with Naoto even so it will always hurt me but also when you start with Naoto you fall 100% in love with her @@1Tekkaman

[@lemuhnn]

​@@1Tekkamanthe bro code

[@1Tekkaman]

@@lemuhnn I am sick unto death of that particular line of reasoning. It completely ignores the girl's feelings, and the simple fact is Naoto is not even remotely interested in Kanji. All indications are she sees him as a casual acquaintance at most. Moreover, unless pursued by the MC her attitude toward romance ranges from indifference to contempt. Kanji/Naoto is nothing but a rather disturbing one-sided crush; Kanji neither understands nor respects Naoto.

[@remkiri9489]

Naoto is best girl fight me

[@barongoni6653]

God dammit why is her sosial link near the end of the game

[@BigKlingy]

I think Haru's in P5 is much worse, although technically Naoto's opens up at around the same time. It always felt like you had less time with Haru for some reason, maybe because she wasn't as big of a story presence before she joined like Naoto was. I would say Haru has a steep stat requirement but I remembered Naoto requires max Knowledge AND Courage to even start.

[@barongoni6653]

@@BigKlingy oh ya man i kept spending days to get my courage and knowledge up, haru thoe i only did her confidant on new game plus (max stats) i did feel like i was rushing it while naoto felt easy to go through, too bad i had missed the relation flags to tell her i like and had to replay the whole game...

[@fireclaw90a51]

6:26 I like the cut in here explaining it. Makes much more sense

[@jacobharris378]

Finally some good fucking food

[@B_A-tr]

I forgot you were doing a slink sorter. I can see it. F tier foe temerance, s tier for yosuke, kanji tier for kanji

[@MichaelHenderson777]

What are you yappin about

[@GaeaRage0798]

Not gonna lie, this is probably my least favorite romance in the game. Not because I don't like Naoto (quite the contrary), but because I ship her with Kanji so hard that I can't take them away from each other.

[@B_A-tr]

Same

[@BigKlingy]

I once saw a comment mentioning how he went from not romancing Naoto because of Kanji in P4... to deliberately romancing Ann to screw over Morgana in P5.

[@SomeAsian]

@@BigKlingy Romancing Ann out of spite is... depressingly popular in the fandom.

[@BigKlingy]

@@SomeAsian I'm still more of an Ann x Ryuji guy. (Erika Harlacher, Ann's VA, is too)

[@1Tekkaman]

The problem with that is being with Kanji is mindbogglingly out of character for Naoto. He neither understands nor respects her, plus she's visibly uncomfortable the one time it's brought up in her presence, and equally visibly relieved if you disagree with Rise's silly notion. Then you have the huge intelligence gap; Naoto is a genius, while Kanji is a dullard, to put it kindly. In all likelihood Naoto would be bored to the point of intense frustration (I'm the offspring of such an unequal union, so I've seen it up close). Also look at what you have to do to date her, specifically the "I'm glad you're a girl" line. Kanji, who's about as subtle as a brick in the face, would be pretty much guaranteed to mess it up. Tl;dr: Naoto has a type, and Kanji is very much not it.

[@ivanespinosa246]

35:18 😂😂😂

[@kaineowo7214]

I was really wondering why i suddenly got naoto's friendship route? I didn't even know what you say actually matters

[@kaineowo7214]

It's fine tough, her and kanji is still a great couple

[@BigKlingy]

You have to say "I'm glad you're a girl" in one of the earlier ranks. If you don't, you won't have the option to say "because I love you" later.

[@kaineowo7214]

@@BigKlingy it's kinda weird to say though, that's probably why i didnt get the chance

[@BigKlingy]

@@kaineowo7214 Yeah that's one of the issues I have with the romance route. Saying "Your gender doesn't matter" there (which locks you out of the romance) gets you more points with her, too.

[@gazman656]

Merry Christmas everyone

[@Ergjavjas558]

Naoto is also my most favourite character in this game. The main reason is that I found similarities between me and her. I wanted to be writer and to make serious stories, because games like Red Dead Redemption, Spec Ops The Line and Disco Elysium impressed me as one of the best story-games in the game industry. Because of it, I tried to be adult and to be applied by adult society. It was my most painful experience that I wasn't regarded seriously by my parents and teachers. I am 16 years old now and P4 is one of my loved games, because I was always concerned of how to behave myself and seek trueself. I would also like to meet girl like Naoto, because she look likes me and most of girls I have met are quite the same. Of course, having girlfriend now is bad idea for I can be distracted from learning.

[@Rickle_Pick23]

The watch reads

[@galladeforce]

Merry Christmas (Since it would be Christmas Day in Australia as I write this) Somebody who is more versed in Japanese could tell me this but I know Naoto uses a more masculine pronoun like Boku in the Japanese version, the Higher Voice plot points are an adaption of her choice of pronouns from what I have heard but I wonder if Naoto apart from her choice of personal pronouns tends to use more feminine or masculine speech patterns when talking normally? It would make Naoto’s ruse a bit more convincing if she spoke in a more masculine manner in Japanese and I never hear any reference in the game or other games to Naoto using feminine speech patterns while pretending which would be worth noting. I am a both a bit surprised by but can understand why Naoto owns a Yasogami High Girls School Uniform. Her main way of dressing for school shows that she does not use nor need it so I would have assumed that she would have thrown it out, especially since she was heavily into denying her femininity at the time. But I can see the School sending one to her when she enrolled using he official papers which tells them her biological sex hence explaining why she owns one, I do not think schools tend to have their uniforms available for purchase.

[@BigKlingy]

Thanks! I... actually can't remember much of her dialogue in Q2 but that takes place post-reveal so it's probably not an indication.

[@galladeforce]

@@BigKlingy If Naoto was using a male speech pattern in Q2 it would have probably make the fact that of the Phantom Theifs all but Ryuji figures out she’s female not make as much sense, since androgynous name + boyish voice + boyish clothes + masculine speaking style would probably make them assume her sex as male unless corrected, hence she might have used feminine speech patterns in that game but Ryuji not being as smart or observe was the only one who did not pick it up, I will have to check this later but by comparison in Persona Q on the P3 route at least I remember multiple characters being surprised, rather than just the character considered the dumb one. Hence I am not so sure about that game. The only indicators for how she talked before the reveal in Japanese would be Persona 4, Persona 4 Golden on Steam and Persona 4 The Animation. The former i can tell you probably has very little Japanese footage anywhere online due to being released in the early days of KZbin, hence I do not really see there being that many videos of Day 1 Japanese Let’s Plays, for the lattermost I am not even sure if the DVDs or streaming services have Japanese Audio as an option. Golden on Steam would be the best option if somebody were to do so since it is probably the overall cheapest option. the Golden Anime is only available in Japanese but that used almost entirely Golden exclusive scenes rather than a full story. And as far as I can tell Naoto is only involved in those after she joins.

[@oriongear2499]

If you were to ask me my top 2 P4 romance routes, they’d be Rise and Naoto.

[@citogonzalez8177]

Naoto when she puts on the school uniform Yu: Bed now

[@thel-iteralone4592]

The choice that "I'm glad you're a girl" has never sat well with me. I just don't think it's something anyone should say to someone who struggles with how they identify with their gender.

[@BigKlingy]

I really don't like Naoto's romance route at all.

[@4fabforever]

But it help her to accept who she really is... it's just she needs to be push to accept herself.

[@nasiransari9761]

Ok i see we have an ally of the alphabet mafia here. Look try to get this trough your thick skull. Naoto is a girl. She is not confused about her gender she just dresses masculine to be accepted in her field. Stop protecting your nonsense on persona

[@aidanwhite5444]

@@nasiransari9761I agree, it makes me sad that the “Naoto gender debate” is still being waged to this day It’s simply just western persona fans failing to understand Naotos character and then labeling her as Transgender, when in reality, doing that completely defeats the purpose of her story arc and ruins the message her character is trying to tell, no one understands that this is Japanese culture and not our culture. It’s absurd.

[@Shrimpstan]

You mean to tell me not saying something like that is the reason i never got to romance naoto dude this game fucking sucks

[@marcsegarra3102]

The best girl......

[@FiniteMan1933]

Accidentally locked myself out on NG+ and Im not about to put in ANOTHER 30 hrs into this game lmao, I rather just watch

[@andresalasthemessenger]

Romantic Route for Naoto Shirogane... She may be in boyish disguise & all that with her personality from it but to be put aside of seeing her on the opposite side, she sure has that charm. (Even hiding herself out in secret, at least she was trying to be truthful with her honesty there which was nice.) 6:20 - 7:20 / Hm? This is very new. 🤨 11:54 - 12:27 / In the Christmas Eve (Even it's already on my end now so Merry Christmas! 🎄🎁☃️❄), Wait- what?... Is she- 12:28 - 13:49 / 😯...😳... (Wow! She looks- Whoa!... I'm... caught for my heart out. I admit... That was rare.) In the New Year, she wears this clothes... Not bad for a Detective Prince. (Nice from Yu saying that option.) In the snow shows quite extensively than the others recently... nice details tho. In the Beach, the part with the wave & the song plays, OK. That was really cool. (This editing BigKlingy. Lol. 35:15 - 35:20.) "Out of any videos for the girls, Naoto's had some Impressive stuffs to reveal out of hers... This is... really good. 😊 Still, I like Kanji Tatsumi × Naoto Shirogane tho yet not bad for this IMO." 🤔🙂

[@julsrodriguez6500]

God i’m so lonely 😭

[@johnqurk]

How can I unlock Naoto's Romance route? I didn't make it first time

[@BigKlingy]

@@johnqurk You need to say "I'm glad you're a girl" in one of the early ranks. (Even though "Your gender doesn't matter" gives more points) You then need to protect her from the assumed knife and say "Because I love you" when she asks why you did that.

[@johnqurk]

@BigKlingy got it, thank you bro

[@zanyunknown2564]

Quick question, why did I not get the text options of “because I love you” or “because we’re friends”?

[@BigKlingy]

You have to choose "I'm glad you're a girl" in an earlier rank. Even though "your gender doesn't matter" gives more points with her. I probably should've included that in this video.

[@zanyunknown2564]

Oh ok yeah that’s what I chose. WELP TIME TO TRY TO DO THIS IN MY THIRD PLAYTHROUGH

[@BigKlingy]

@@zanyunknown2564 That's always annoying. Her and Ai are the only romance routes you can get locked out of.

[@zanyunknown2564]

I was even rejecting everyone (except rise and marie because yes) just because I didn’t want to get barrated by people on 2/14 and I could just spend that with naoto. Also I don’t care for Ai lol. And because i still haven’t finished this game on second run because of the three months at the end (god I love the snowflakes theme) I might also romance sayoko. Idk why, just cuz why not

[@jimmywarner7559]

Worst romance in the game cuz you cock-block your bro