The True Romance Options In Persona

[@nerogoro]

Y’know what guys, I’m gonna go off the rails and say Yuko in P3 is the best romance option. Why? Because she’s the most normal character out of all the P3 cast, her situation isn’t anything special, and she’s the best and the most normal GF experience you could ever ask for. Her talking about having kids in the future with Makoto got me gigglin and shi 😭🙏

[@ShadowOfMassDestruction]

@@nerogoro Now that's just cap. You know the best romance is Maiko no diddy. It's written all over the walls bruh. She loves you whether you romance her or not. She seeks marriage and she's the only one that went for a kiss. None of the other girls even bothered. It's so obvious that I can't believe people think it's anyone else smh, y'all Persona fans just be reaching on god fr fr.

[@micheal2455]

@@ShadowOfMassDestructionTHE 5 YEAR OLD?! You are why Persona fans are seen so negatively.

[@RhyanGaudet]

@@ShadowOfMassDestruction put that bullshit on god are you serious

[@CantHandleThis6]

I feel that may be exactly the problem for some people. She's a little too normal/unremarkable for me. I like her as a link and a character but not really as a romance option when there's a lot more interesting to work with to me, Like Yukari.

[@KonEl17]

​@micheal2455 I'm fairly certain he's joking cuz that's in the game even in the Fes version. But I could be wrong

[@projectmessiah]

Canon is whichever one I pick

[@ShadowOfMassDestruction]

@@projectmessiah The only option that matters

[@NewDrops4u]

The best option fs

[@nerogoro]

In the end all it matters is your choice fr ‼️

[@XATADOR05-2.0]

shut up man my choice is the canon one

[@whackareal]

So true

[@RhythmOSauce]

I like ships but Captain Kidd’s Ship is by far the coolest out of the bunch in the franchise

[@milanbeerepoot4260]

William’s Ship is better

[@ShiftyCashew109]

@@milanbeerepoot4260facts

[@whackareal]

@@milanbeerepoot4260 no

[@Vanta_Xen]

@@milanbeerepoot4260 Idk man, they look the exact same to me (William and Captain kidd are the same person)

[@Subpar1O1]

​@@milanbeerepoot4260William is cool but his boat looks like the kind that billionaires go missing on off the coast of hawaii

[@dragoon8169]

If only Igor was an option 😞

[@NewDrops4u]

Ong

[@nerogoro]

Real

[@ellismekins3657]

What that nose do I’m sorry

[@nerogoro]

@ Igor freaky… 👅

[@Theycallmethedrink69]

@@nerogoro If only we can romance Akechi😢

[@Bagelbusters]

We all know yosuke is the true romance in persona 4

[@shelbybayer200]

Non-Canon as they don't let you be Gay. The Writers make the Protagonist Unabashedly Straight

[@TTur-d3m]

We can at least be gay in real life

[@cooffeeduck3280]

The funny thing is is that there was a cut romance route for yosuke in the orignal persona 4. Also watch the anime Yu is zesty as fuck.​@shelbybayer200

[@BkueJk]

“We” 💀

[@ArividerchiMagmuasue]

​@@shelbybayer200 good

[@That-much-better]

Chad narukami has so much rizz that ALL the girls are the true option

[@AnthonyDinh]

*not including nanako.*

[@That-much-better]

@AnthonyDinh of course Chad's don't date there cousin

[@Benjawin6671]

Nope. It's just Yukiko.

[@ShadowOfMassDestruction]

@@Benjawin6671 Whaddya mean Yukiko? It's obviously Chie smh

[@nerogoro]

Biggest chad of the persona series fr

[@TsukiKanae8]

I don't think there are canon love interests in modern Persona, because the Protagonists have never been confirmed to be dating one girl instead of the others. However, I do think Aigis is the closest thing there's been to an implied love interest in P3, because hers is the only relationship with the MC that gets ample focus from both parties. Makoto spends his last moments with her, literally closes his eyes while looking at her face, and dies with a smile on his face. The P3R/Episode Aigis Key Art is Makoto smiling at Aigis. The Episode Aigis opening is also dedicated to them, with Makoto shown smiling at Aigis, and their last moments together reflected in his most important and iconic item, his MP3 Player. She literally gets access to Orpheus and all his Persona, which come from the sea within his soul. Their relationship has never been optional, either. While Makoto's closeness to other girls is determined by whether the player did their social links or not, all of this with Aigis happens outside of player control, regardless of whether the player did her social link or not (Hashino even scrapped her first S-Link because S-Links are meant to be optional, while Aigis is meant to be tied to Makoto within the main story). They have like 9 official songs written about them (Memories of You, Disconnected, Because I will Protect You, etc.), they're always paired together in official works and merch, etc. In the Persona concert back in 2022 they even had a dance number that ended with Makoto reaching towards Aigis who was smiling down at him from the screen LOL When you look solely at what the canon has provided for them, no other ship really comes close, in my opinion. Luckily, shipping isn't supposed to revolve about canon, it's supposed to be about enjoying the dynamics we all vibe with the most, so we're all free to ship whatever we want!

[@brappycap6084]

*SPOILER* One of the biggest reasons I believe Aigis is canon is in Arena Elizabeth mentions to her one day coming with her on her journey to save Makoto. And if Makoto ever were to come back to the story Aigis is realistically the only one who'd still be waiting for him as Yukari has completely moved on with her life and fighting shadows.

[@ProfNekko]

while it's true that Yukari moved on she still cares deeply about Makoto and his death heavily weighed on her. If she was presented with a scenario where she would be given the chance to save him from his fate she would take up arms to help, if not for romance but because a chance to save an old friend from an eternal fate.

[@Handlelesswithme]

Also in arena Mitsuru, and Yukari give hints that their romance were also cannon So basically harem route is confirmed

[@awoga2299]

The whole point of the answer is Aigis and co moving on. Elizabeth ain't bringing him back, she wants to free M's soul so it can pass on to the sea of souls. and why tf would Elie go for Yukari if she can't even see her, while Aigis is the one with the wild card and immorality due to robot body. Elie went after Aigis cuz she is the only one who can actually help.

[@ProfNekko]

@@awoga2299 people can see the velvet attendants just fine if the attendants want to be seen, and Elizabeth isn't stupid. If she wants to maximize chances of success she would seek to get as many capable persona users willing to help as she could, which would include any active persona user who is a good enough person to be willing to help. Any persona user with connections to SEES would be a potential recruit in her goals. This includes the investigation team since Mitsuru has connections to them through Naoto. The Phantom Thieves would be harder to recruit though since none of them really have the connections to be recruited other than being tracked down and appealing to their greater sense of justice.

[@awoga2299]

​@@ProfNekko Aigis's wildcard makes her far above other SEES members, she is the only one in equal footing with Elizabeth, and possibly the only one who can do what Elie needs for her journey, Yu and Joker got their own things to do so Aigis is the one and only option, and she would obviously say yes due to her protective nature to P3MC. But saying stuff like "yeah Aigis is waiting for P3MC to come back from the grave and knock on her door and marry her" is very goofy.

[@ShadowOfMassDestruction]

Chie is my favorite character in Persona and she is also my favorite romance because she breaks the convention of there being a "true" romance. She's written with the expectation that you do not choose her due to what her arc tackles with her personal gripes in the story. However, if you do choose her it feels like an honest to god reward to me and she's not only incredibly sweet but she also has a little bit of that Tsundere charm that I oh so love. Trial of The Dragon forever!

[@nerogoro]

I love Chie too 😭 tbh the girls in the Investigation team are the only ones where I genuinely like all of them equally 😭

[@therealeikichionizuka]

my personal take: aigis, cuz the ending. rise, cuz shes always flirting and literally says "i love you". for 5, all of them because that one valentines day episode they made.

[@liotheeeveetrainer4305]

Yea but isn't the p5 anime isn't cannon anymore thanks to royal?

[@Kat-Kobold]

​@@liotheeeveetrainer4305 no it just means that romancing everyone EXCEPT for Sumi is canon.

[@DL3ach01]

In my mind P3 - Yukari for Makoto simply due to their connection, development and understanding of one another. P3P - Shinjiro for Kotone because they have the most realistic build up I think. I think it is safe to say they love each other. P4 - Either Rise or Yukiko seem good for Yu, Rise is very open about her feelings and is very flirty whereas Yukiko is more reserved but appreciates him deeply. Chie seems more like a sibling and Kanji has feelings for Naoto so it’s not fair. P5 - Ann or Makoto for Ren, Ann because they have a fleshed out relationship, they are both socially excluded and they help each other in different ways whereas Ren helps Makoto become a more understanding and compassionate person. P5 (Adult) - Kawakami and I know what you’re thinking but hear me out, out of all the adult romances, Kawakami makes the most sense. She is even hesitant about it and whilst it might be seen as creepy, at least she doesn’t drug Ren, she isn’t an alcoholic or a scammer. I feel like he truly enjoys being around her and she likes being around him. And… That’s the best part 😆

[@nerogoro]

My personal favorite for P5 Adult is Takemi. Can’t go wrong with my favorite goth doctor 🙏

[@RichardG20]

Adding onto Yukari, her entire character arc during The Answer screams a lover going through the 5 Stages of Grief.

[@DL3ach01]

@@nerogoro Whilst I see your point on the goth doctor, if we’re going off of physical appearance I would still have to say Kawakami! She got two sides to her and who could turn down that maid 😝😉

[@DL3ach01]

@@RichardG20 That is a very very good point, whilst they were all affected, she struggles the most, I agree!

[@nerogoro]

@@DL3ach01 I’d rather be Takemi’s guinea pig than Kawakami’s master 😔

[@maquinlol9673]

For Persona 3, if you pay attention to the game, Yukari is canon to be in love with the protag, not romance him, this is up to the player, same with Elizabeth. Aigis is the canon romance, and for those who don't know, Hashino Himself said the Rooftop scene at the end of the game is based on a real life situation with his WIFE.

[@ceansell]

Man died on his wife’s lap and came back to make Persona 3.

[@artoriasbenoit]

The Answer and Arena/Ultimax confirm that Yukari was closest was Yuki and he wasn’t in a romantic relationship with Aigis. There is no ‘canon romance’, but even if there was it wouldn’t be her.

[@steventhekid2150]

Too many girls Love Makoto for it to be a cannon romance but if there would to be a cannon romance it would be Elizabeth imo

[@TsukiKanae8]

​@@artoriasbenoit That is not true, though. In The Answer, Aigis is the one to inherit Makoto's Persona (pieces of his soul) instead of Yukari, and Yukari even admits she's jealous of Aigis and that she wishes it had been her. In Arena/Ultimax, Aigis has an entire plot where her first meeting with Makoto is reshaped into a fated reunion that leads her to happiness, while Makoto isn't even mentioned in Yukari's aside from a passing mention when she sees Elizabeth use Thanatos. I completely respect preferring one ship over the other, and I think that we should all ship what we like because that is what fandom is for. But there's no need to spread misinformation.

[@sebavju]

@@artoriasbenoit Bro, I understand you like Yukari but at least try not to misinform or at least say what you say is a headcanon :/

[@bonmaythibietcaideogivepersona]

❝これはＰ３の企画初期に描いたヒロインですね。 まだ何も決まっていない段階でしたので名前もありませんでしたが、ゆかりはこの絵から派生してデザインしています。 最終的にＰ３ではヒロイン（主に恋愛対象としての）はラヴァーズ（恋愛）コミュという形にすることで自由度を持たせることにより プレイヤーの選択にお任せすることになりましたので、ゆかりはキャラクターとしてより個性的な性格付けがされていくことになります。 ゆかりヒロイン構想の名残は主人公が青をイメージカラーにしているのに対してゆかりはピンクを基調にしているくらいでしょうか（笑）。 ちなみに物語の牽引役として登場するアイギスが主人公とツーショットになる絵がとても多いので、よくアイギスがヒロインではないかと聞かれることがあるのですが、アイギスはロボットであることの特殊性で物語のコンセプトを引き立てることに重点を置いて描いておりヒロインというよりはキーキャラクターという感じの位置付けですね。 Ｐ３Ｆでは要望にお答えするかたちでアイギスコミュを用意しましたが、Ｐ３でアイギスコミュがないのはそのためです。❞ Soejima Shigenori has said that Yukari was originally designed to be Makoto's heroine (love interest). Aigis was meant to be a more key character.

[@awoga2299]

Atlus made their instance on Aigis pretty clear in an interview with Hashino, Soejima and Tanaka (the lead writer), they straight up say Aigis is written as a secondary protagonist rather than the heroine. of course heroine could or could not also mean love interest, but in the same interview Soejima randomly points out Yukari's closeness to P3MC while saying Aigis is important to the plot. Marie and Sumi are added in the re-releases so naturally the new scenes would focus on them, and due to the nature of Persona protags being all about bonds, it would also focus on their relationship with the protagonist. Sorry i may sound harsh but this a pointles video with a pointless discussion. There's no true romance. those games aren't a love story.

[@DJ-mf6ft]

My only critique of the video is not the video itself, which was detailed and well thought out, but that you put the answers in the thumbnail. Kinda took the suspense out of it.

[@nerogoro]

I already paid the artist, can't change it back now 😭 I usually have the thumbnail and video in mind first then I write the script after, and I was just thinking about those 3 the whole time 😭

[@luklain]

imo Sumire isn't the canon romance bc theres Akechi (jk)

[@littlebabyman8494]

23:22 That is evidently a complete misunderstanding of what a Mary Sue is. There are contrivances sure but it’s never to prop her up, it’s just done to give her a presence before the third semester.

[@rocketprime]

Persona 3 = Yukari Persona 4 = Rise Persona 5 = Makoto

[@Megidolaon999]

@@rocketprime no?

[@tranhuuuc2679]

bro is me (except you spelled "Aigis" wrong)

[@Megalodon.666]

>me plays persona games >me sees cheerful first girls >me falls in love >therefore Yukari, Chie and Ann is true romance options for me.

[@nerogoro]

I LOVE CHEERFUL GIRLS

[@ElecWoods-rd3qq]

My personal take Makoto: Aigis (and Elizabeth) Kotone: Shinjiro Narukami: Chie Narukami (Golden): Marie Joker: all of them until the Valentine’s Day incident Joker (Royal): Same except he ends up choosing Yoshizawa Btw, who do you think is Kotone’s true romance option?

[@Nosretep]

Yoshizawa and Haru.

[@hidekihbr]

definitively Shinjiro. I mean, you can even save him.

[@nerogoro]

Was it possible to romance Ryoji with Kotone? I think that’s probably my romance option for Kotone

[@Mikesh0450N]

Definitely not ken

[@hidekihbr]

@@nerogoro yeah, you sort of can. p3reload's link episodes with him are heavily based on his social link in p3p.

[@user-ww1gk5ku1w]

I agree with your take, In P3 I felt like Aigis had a deeper connection with Makoto than Yukari, in P4G Marie feels the most canon for the reasons you said but also because of her being Izanami and Yu having Izanagi as his Persona, in P5R I agree that Atlus was heavily pushing Sumire as the main heroine. Personally though, in P3 I’m a Mistusu supremacist, in P4G it’s always Marie because I like Tsundere characters and because she’s an anti-Rise, in P5R it’s always Makoto because she’s my favourite PT and because I feel like she has a perfect couple dinamic with Joker

[@RangerW36]

“In P3 I felt like Aigis had a deeper connection with Makoto than Yukari” I’m pretty sure there’s literally a line in The Answer that confirms this. Although I think it was cut from Reload’s version? Yukari *herself* says that Aigis’s love for him was boundless compared to hers, or something along those lines.

[@Handlelesswithme]

In persona 3 the harem route is confirmed

[@awoga2299]

​​​@@RangerW36she says "we all cared about him, but you felt the strongest" which is literally true, even if it wasn't romantic love Aigis was devoted to P3MC. The ending is her stating her purpose in life is to protect him. In Reload the line is replaced with Yukari explaining the reason why Aigis got the wild card and not her is cuz Aigis had the strength to move on like him.

[@ShadowOfMassDestruction]

@@awoga2299 Exactly. People misinterpret that line or some other sporadic scenes to try and make their ship canon all of the time for whatever reason. At least with Yukari she has proper scenes made for developing their relationship and showing her growing love from there on forth so you can make a reasonable case for them if you want to. Aigis? You can't even confirm anything with the info you have because It's just a part of her nature to be that attached regardless. It's like telling a Saiyan to stop fighting, that's just not gonna happen. That's the whole point of The Answer to break that mechanical part of herself and live free. In her naivete, her first time understanding bonds, and her willingness to learn from Makoto she acts no differently to a velvet room attendant. These are the same people that would look at Rise flirt at Narukami for two seconds and automatically think they are canon. I don't get this linear surface level level view on romance at all.

[@TheLostSheep578]

Yukari and Rise are the true romances in my heart ❤😢. Good video though 👍🏻

[@nerogoro]

I like them both too 🥲

[@NomadMonkey396]

3 is the only persona game with a canon romance. Yukari seems like she's the intended one and Aigis makes sense either way. personally I think being platonic with aigis works too, you don't have to be in a relationship to care deeply for someone. P4 Seems like it doesn't have one since the spin offs don't mention any. (Yu is such a chad that he doesn't need one) in p5 "Kasumi" I have no doubt seems like she's canon. Some don't like that she's forced on you but I don't mind since she's so likable and a great character.

[@sebavju]

First, Persona 3 in the way its script is writen, seems to be the game that has come closest to officializing a relationship between the MC and another character, however, there is no canon because the game director himself says that the romance depends on the player. Second, why Aigis can you see her more as platonic and Yukari can't? If in fact, the MC has had more interactions with Aigis without the player being able to choose and also Aigis more or less confesses her feelings with the MC outside of SL (Add Episode Aigis and its OP which reflects everything Aigis feel and P4A story ).

[@NomadMonkey396]

@sebavju Yukari seems to have a special relationship with minato and sometimes it seems like the romance path was intended. With aigis it could go either way, in episode aigis yukari has a crush on minato and is angry at the fact that Aigis got to spend his last moments with Aigis instead of her so she holds a grudge. If you had a platonic relationship with aigis, it could be a misunderstanding or he could have started to fall in love with aigis. There's a parallel with yukari grieving him the same way her mum was grieving her husband minus the seeing other men part.

[@Handlelesswithme]

You are correct in that their exist a intended romance Shame you didn’t notice it was the Harem route

[@NomadMonkey396]

@@Handlelesswithme in reality though I'm not really a fan of the romance route in the games mainly because the alternate scene always seems to have way more effort put into them while the romance scenes feel copy and paste, For example I find the Christmas scene in p4 with the guys to be funnier and is surprisingly heartfelt, like the valentines day single event in that game. Also in persona 5 the Christmas scene for being single with ren spending time with Sojiro and futaba is longer and is more fun at least imo. In 3 you're missing out on certain events so I think 3 incoperated it the best.

[@Handlelesswithme]

@@NomadMonkey396 yea I’ll be honest. The silent self insert protagonist only work in purely first person games Everything else feels like a downgrade to an actual protagonist with an actual planned story

[@xHeyItsCami]

I agree about P5. Mainly bc before Royal, i genuinely just liked the female confidants as friends for Joker...except for Hifumi but that's bc i found her appealing to me and my bisexual self.

[@TheDGBgamers]

I've noticed in the 3 modern Persona games there's a 'base game' option and the 'expanded version SL' option that are equally viable to be the true romance. P3: Yukari & Aigis (whose SL was first in FES) P4: Rise & Marie P5: Makoto & Sumi

[@jarvisfowlkes3200]

Love the video but I disagree Aigis being the true romance it's always Yukari and I'll stand on that on a general story telling you can tell they have a real connection and I'm not focus on the other romance in the other games because Yukari one of my favorites and I feel so bad for her

[@bacchithecock]

That is in fact true, but Aigis gets a way more important role in the story than Yukari. This video is based (sadly) on who is more important to the story. I do feel bad for Yukari too though, truly one of the best girls.

[@nerogoro]

It was so hard for me to pick between Aigis and Yukari 😭

[@ShadowOfMassDestruction]

@@nerogoro ​Yukari if you are a man who has standards and likes a bit of spice in your life. Aigis if you like basic vanilla ice cream, you like your toast with no butter and you only drink water from the tap.

[@frigorifero6750]

I like fuuka

[@lalalalakamehameha]

@@ShadowOfMassDestruction If you like yukari more that’s valid, she’s awesome, but saying stuff like this is so corny

[@pedrolemos8566]

you can also make an argument for Yukari that her grief for losing someone she loved was so devastating that in the answer she was willing to risk the end of the world just to have him back, I do agree that Aegis is more likely the "canon" romance (her grief fucking CREATED a being) but Yukari is so danm close that if the writters were to say she was the "canon" one, I would accept it.

[@w1nther930]

"you don't have to romance them for max 10 confidant" Persona 3 games until reload:

[@skyeirenerygh]

I only used Yoshisawa's showtime ONCE because it felt like cheating on Makoto lmao I agree that she is the pushed romance option

[@icylevanter4475]

The day when people acept that the persona games are not a dating simulation, the world will be finally in peace 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻.

[@sebavju]

Unfortunately, it IS part of the game, that's why I appreciate that Metaphor doesn't have a romance option.

[@Handlelesswithme]

The day when people realize Persona is has better dating simulation mechanics then most dating sims 🙌🙌🤙🤙🤙🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

[@K4r1.V_]

ill always fw aikoto since aigis met makoto 10 years before the story began so yeah aigis is the true romance in my eyes,,

[@nerogoro]

Aigis FTW ✊

[@Diebypumkinpye]

Aigis groomed Makoto 💀

[@ShockwaveFPSStudios]

Yeah, I’m with ya on the fact Kasumi, is the canon love interest in Persona 5. I mean seriously, her & Joker’s outfits are practically similar, that of course she’s the canon love interest.

[@rcas3895]

Forget the outfits, the final form of her Persona is a literal bride.

[@kazutogamer1870]

This makes me wish the persona series take out romance options and gives the protagonist a actualt voice and some form of love interest, not only for story sake but to my eyes is a great addition to symbolize a new way of growing as a person as having a intimate relationship also drives a person such as a teen to mature and grow emotionally. To a certain extent, this would also add new facets of story that the P-team can explore, specially teen relationships, this comes at a cost of romance of option, but I think this would make a different experience and story overall.

[@Handlelesswithme]

Unpopular opinion I prefer to play a character with actual personality over a silent protagonist especially in Rpgs

[@ShadowOfMassDestruction]

@@Handlelesswithme Reason 1 as to why Metaphor is so goated.

[@Handlelesswithme]

The Persona 3 harem route is confirmed to be cannon -before Reload you can’t finish a girl social link without romancing them -And the developers for persona 3-5 confirmed all social links are treated as cannon. -And yes this is backed by The Answer, Arena and Ultimax if you read between the lines

[@wuttap5710]

no, akechi is the true romance. you gotta max him out for the royal ending

[@Joker3180Z]

You only have to max Maruki and Sumire

[@wuttap5710]

@ Nuh uh

[@xHeyItsCami]

You only have to get him to a certain point but you do have to max out Maruki

[@giovannavongola3073]

This is all my opinion, but my ideas on who is the "true" or "canon" romance options are as follows: For Persona 3, it is namely Yukari Takeba, it makes a lot of sense given her conversations with Makoto during the game, and it is natural, in my opinion. I will say that Elizabeth's actions *after* Persona 3's events, namely the connection to Persona 4 Arena, aka her dereliction of duty for the sake of Makoto implies feelings for him. So I'd place Elizabeth as equal to Yukari in all likelihood. Ranking them, It'd be Yukari first, Elizabeth second, and Aegis third, if you want the extra context. For Persona 4, my pick would be Rise Kujikawa, as she the most forward out of the Investigation Team, and her feelings for Yu in Persona 4 Arena (Ulimax) as the catalyst for her Persona's evolution from a support type to one capable of attacking, which doesn't happen very often, at least according to my memory. Though for Persona 4 Golden, it has to be Marie. But, since most "updates" to the base game aren't really all that canon I'd say, I'd lean towards Rise than Marie, but I'd say both are valid. For Persona 5, I'd say it's easiest. Makoto Nijima for the original Persona 5, though a very close second would be the underclassmen Kasumi Yoshizawa for Persona 5 Royal, given how involved she is with the third semester and Maruki. Makoto has the most in-cutscene interactions with Joker, and though I think it's rather boring, it makes sense. I'd say both are valid, much like with Persona 4. These are all my opinions, of course.

[@PhillyCh3zSt3ak]

Good video overall. The issue with choosing a "True Romance" option for Persona games is because they allow you go off the rails. After all, you can go for Kawakami or Futaba in P5 if you really want to. If they didn't allow for any romance flags at all in the social links I would wholeheartedly have to agree with you in your assessment with maybe an argument for Yukari in P3. Atlus throws waifus at you and lets you choose so that will be a problem if we want to have a "this is the True Romance" discussion.

[@Jorgeofpeace]

My take: P3: Yukari (but Aigis is completely understandable and sometimes I'll even say her) P4: Rise (though if Yosuke had been an option it would be him) P5: Makoto before Royal (I think with her being Sae's sister she's the one with more ties with the main story beyond just being a Phantom Thieve). But with Royal it's definitely Sumire

[@izzy1356]

Will say... As much as I like Sumi as a character, I honestly prefer her with any of the other PTs (the guys *and* the girls) over Joker. 😅 She's definitely not a mary sue, but you can really tell the devs tried to hamfist the fairytale analogies with her (Cinderella and to a small extent Sleeping Beauty), Joker (Prince Charming), and Maruki (The Fairy Godmother), and it often gets to a point where she can't stand on her own as an individual without Joker swooping in to "save the day like a dashing prince." Heck the devs even admit they intentionally designed her to *look good next to him.* She barely gets to interact with the other Thieves, and it's a *shame* because she has so much in common with them (sports with Ryuji, sisterhood with Makoto, introversion/depression with Futaba, etc.), but she's limited to *just* Joker and often being his "cute little arm candy who looks up to senpai." And... Honestly, that's worringly unhealthy. A similar issue happens with Makoto (i.e. "Eiko's Confidant") too: Both girls often get *stunted* in their dynamics with Joker despite the devs pushing it super hard, and that dissonance can come off as an underwhelming romance at the expense of the girls. Especially to female fans who want more with them, but the devs think Joker playing hero is good enough. They're not bad ships, but they *are* polarizing for a reason.

[@ultimatejager4058]

I don't agree with what you say about Makoto, in fact I think Eiko's storyline shows us how Joker was little to not influent in Makoto's investigation, as he just played the role of a confidant for her and someone she can trust on telling what concerns her. Makoto develops on her own and shows a lot of independence and strength in several crucial moments. Her falling in love with Joker is due to him being a very reliable and understanding moral support, not a providential savior or a decision maker she totally depends on

[@tristanalain9239]

I think an argument can be made that even with Aigis being the canon romance of 3, Makoto still "Boldly Accepted" Elizabeth. I mean, ffs Jose had to come from somewhere, and I am fond of the idea he is the kid of Elizabeth and Makoto.

[@thearyasingle]

As someone obsessed with minmaxing these games, here are the best waifus GAMEPLAY-wise. - In P3 it doesnt matter as much, but I reccomend Maya to get funny ARAHABAKIII or Yuko for Strength personas. Akihiko in FemC route to get Armageddon - In P4G Rise seems like the obvious choice. Her SL is already good but she's the only one to give an actually good item on Christmas Eve (50%+ SP accessory in the game where your max SP is less than 400 normally) -In P5R all romances give you the same Xmas gift but only 4 can go to the overseas school trip and of those only Makoto gives a good item (Divine Grace accessory). Her Confidant perks are kinda meh however, so Kawakami is also viable for Hawaii gift + some of the best confidant perks These are completely unnecessary BUT!! I'm not into women I only want their unique items frfr

[@nerogoro]

Only for the items… different breed

[@thearyasingle]

I'm sorry 😔 but if Marie had given me a xmas gift I wouldn't have to leave her in the forest #rizzsona

[@Megidolaon999]

LETS ALL PRETEND MARIE DOESNT EXIST FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF HUMANITY, YEAH? GOOD!

[@madsiesOW]

im sorry but if you think its aigis in p3 i refuse to believe u actually played the game and paid attention LOL

[@beedrillfanatic5933]

I like the headcanon that Ren falls in and out of love with all of the other girls until he finally settles on Sumire. Realistically though, the guy is a f**king playboy, harem route for the base game and then somehow rizzing Sae Nijima 5 years after. 😂

[@Handlelesswithme]

I like The actual cannon for Persona 3 where Makoto romances all the girls in order to get the universe arcana and win

[@vanpirebaby]

oooooh i like this headcannon it fits imo she was made literally to be the perfect partner for him, and it bothers people(oh well🤷🏽‍♀️) she looks good with him they are cute and meant to be together end of story

[@joeydrew5295]

imo which ever girl u choose in your first playthrough is the canon romance the other playthroughs are like different timelines were u decided to go out with someone else

[@slothfulquagsire199]

Marie also has the whole Izanami/Izanagi thing with Yu I tend to put Elizabeth on the same tier as Aigis mainly for 2 reasons; 1, P4 Arena, and 2, seeing that Makoto did at least the Club 'Date' request with Liz in the Movies I consider them to be pretty much cannon and the final request heavily implies they f*cked ( along with the hilarious idea that Jose is their kid that I saw somewhere and it hasn't left my mind since)

[@normalsizedtoadette1972]

Something I would love to see as a follow-up is maybe since you don't consider S.Links as a criteria you talk about other romances like Ryoji/Akechi/Yosuke I think it would add more food for thought. (Also you missed Femc☹️)

[@Lobomaru02]

Makoto: Mitsuru Yu: Yukiko Joker: Kawakami

[@JohnOMalley-c6s]

Idk about y'all but to me the best group of girls has gotta be P4. Chie Yukiko Rise and Naoto are all viable options. To me they all have great personality too. You just can't go wrong with the P4 girls.

[@Raddkann]

Yukari/Aigis (either is valid) Marie Makoto

[@kohakusora7474]

At this point we all know we have to wait for any remastered version of a numbered entry to find the true romance character as the sudden new character.

[@sebavju]

Persona 3 FES is the exception to the rule, there the “dlc girl” is Metis and well, they have no interaction with the main character for obvious reasons.

[@kohakusora7474]

@sebavju actually I believe you couldn't social link Aigis in the original version. Then Fes allowed it. So it still counts.

[@lalalalakamehameha]

@@kohakusora7474 they mentioned in an interview at one point that aigis’s bond with the protag was so important to the story that they cut her social link from the original p3 to make her feel more special (because she wouldn’t be “optional”), but added it back in fes after popular demand

[@sebavju]

@@kohakusora7474 But that's only the social link, people ship Aikoto since P3 Vanilla, for its ending and also for interactions between the Protagonist and Aigis without the player's choice. (Yakushima Heart icon, Moonlight bridge handholdig, January 25 Promise and Rooftop scene)

[@SlcVoid]

Yet another banger video from the goat

[@nerogoro]

Appreciate it brother 🙏

[@KonEl17]

Persona needs to have more personality to the relationship routes and acknowledgement among the groups. And stop having relationship type dialog among other characters ie. Yosuke/Chie, Ann/Ryujj, and Naoto/Kanji. Its not blatan but certain scenes.

[@MrWanton16]

Eh I'm actually fine wth the latter even if I really only see that in Naoto and Kanji's case. It's a bit strange that no one aside from Junpei ever really develops romantic feelings for a character that isnt the MC. Wouldnt mind more stuff like that

[@sammycute8687]

If we are including p3p than for femc it prob still aigis or shinjiro since if you max out his social link you can save him doing 10/4, making him go into a coma instead of dying

[@going2021]

How did you not finish persona 4. I can’t finish the video knowing that

[@Dubble-k2l]

Bro why did he hit that?? 😭 21:36

[@LCardosed92]

I agree with those statements. But I will always prefer the NG+ endings from P3 Portable over the original P3. In that version you can actually spend the final moments with your loved one instead of being forced to be with Aigis. It gave more meaning to the choices you made, and I am not fond of spending the final moments with girl that looks more like a refrigerator than human.

[@lordfarquaad2319]

But… I love refrigerators

[@Artemi22]

Toaster*

[@roseintheheart]

Yes, i mean, i love P3 ending, it's very emotional and everything, but i never really connected with Aigis to be honest. It's not like she mess up the ending for me, but idk, the thing they did in Portable just feels more natural and immersive.

[@shelbybayer200]

Technically speaking Any Romantic option in Persona 3 is canon because that game originally FORCES YOU into romance to finish the social links. Also, to me No Romance option taken in Persona 3 would make more sense because Makoto Yuki Spoiler alert for Newbies He dies in the end

[@sebavju]

The same P3 game director (Hashino) said that SL romances are separate from the main story.

[@Handlelesswithme]

All social links are cannon and Persona 3 is about a loner with depression opening up to others which gave him something to fight for So sorry thems the breaks harem route is cannon

[@pinguina3076]

I really don't like the idea to be THE cannon one, I think this takes away some of the value of the choices people make in the game, But it's still a fun topic to talk about I guess, And my opinion is that Femc and Aigis are perfect for eachother, I love them sooooo much!!!

[@VongolaSkywolf]

If makoto would have survived im 100% sure yukari, aigis and makoto would of ended up as a throuple

[@kaiserknuckle9261]

Oh junpei you loveable dork I will have to agree with you on persona 3 being the hardest one to determine a true romance option though my bias towards Android women pretty much makes aigis my pick though I have grown to like yukari

[@Handlelesswithme]

Funnily the developers confirmed that Persona 3’s harem route is cannon

[@shelbybayer200]

Narukami's is Yukiko It's shown in Several Works that Yu and Yukiko have some funny moments where she "Mistakes" certain things Yu says as Flirting

[@ShadowOfMassDestruction]

@@shelbybayer200 I'm a Chie fanboy but if there was a canon P4 romance I'd want it to be Yukiko. Snow Black deserves her prince.

[@thecoolestgalaxy4725]

Persona 3 - Yukari Persona 4 - Rise Persona 5 - Ann

[@Handlelesswithme]

Cannon according to the developers and games Persona 3-Harem route(all social links are cannon and you must romance in the social links, also The Answer/Arena hints to this) Persona 4-Nobody(this was hinted in dancing mostly, he romanced nobody😢) Persona 5-unknown(in scramble/strikers this is intentionally kept vague)

[@skel-l7825]

Honestly, you can make an argument for at least 2 characters per game: Yukari and Aigis for P3 Rise and Marie for P4 Ann and 'Sumi fro P5

[@Handlelesswithme]

Persona 3 there is a huge argument that the harem route is cannon And there is more evidence for it then any other route

[@LyokoGem]

Outside of the remake girls, who would you consider canon though?

[@nerogoro]

@@LyokoGem P3 would obviously be Yukari, P4 is Rise/Chie, and P5 is Makoto

[@normalsizedtoadette1972]

​@@nerogoroWhy did Aigis change She isn't a remake girl😭

[@ChadBenjamin]

​@normalsizedtoadette1972 But she has less of a role in OG 3 vs FES. No social link and no Episode Aigis.

[@bmildert]

Aigis has something that Yukari just doesn't have, and that is the 4 Anime movies, in those movies Makoto's and Aigis's relationship and love for each other is the most important things of the story, and those movies were made by the people who made the anime cutscenes for both Persona 3 and 4 and their spin offs so it's as official as it can be

[@JuanCarlos-lp4ug]

yeah I'm surprised he didn't emphasize this when he played a clip from the movies. I feel like without the movies the discussion between her and Yukari could go either ways, but the movies make it so overwhelmingly clear that it's Aigis that it's kinda cheating. The movies even feel more like a love story than a persona story at times lmao

[@ShadowOfMassDestruction]

@@JuanCarlos-lp4ug The movies ignore and butcher literally every other dynamic and character development that isn't Aigis and Ryoji in favor making them be Makoto's sole reason for his development which is the direct OPPOSITE of how the game unfolds and personally speaking? Not a fan of how overly depressed Makoto is in those movies. Yeah I get he's depressed but it's been years since that incident. Even Sasuke goddang Uchiha learned to open up to his teammates quicker than that. The movies shouldn't be taken seriously cause they're awful.

[@awoga2299]

Movies are a moot point, the Manga favors Yukari, and any other official P3 media have been pretty natural. Idk where you got the "it's made by the same people", but even if it's true, the animators don't have anything to do with the characters, it's up to the writer/director, and the director of the second and forth movie straight up said he personally considers Aigis's feelings one-sided.

[@anjel4219]

My head canon for each is Yukari, Rise, and Kasumi. I refuse to accept any other way!

[@Joker3180Z]

14:59 you haven't finished the story yet, so ignore this: spoilers Marie is a Piece of Izanami-No-Okami

[@TheJaredPunch]

Makoto and Aigis are my favorite ship throughout the Persona franchise.

[@Omnio56]

For me it's Yukari. Aigis to me is that childhood best friend that will fuck with you no matter what, but you only stay firends. If we're looking at it from a story perspective, Yukari being the "true" lover makes more sense. In "The Answer," doesn't Yukari try to steal those keys or whatever the items were to bring back Makoto? I feel as though that says enough, but thats just my opinion.

[@LinkleMcA]

It depends on if you mean FES or Reload. In FES she does, but in Reload she doesn't (Reload does change some things because Yukari's actions were notorious in the original. She was far more hostile, but this led to a lot of people feeling it was out of character (and others saying it was completely IN character)

[@Omnio56]

@LinkleMcA I haven't played Reload yet so I thought she always did that so I guess FES, but I still stand by my statement.

[@MidnightBikerHostility]

Nah... you can't beat the robot girl who will have hopes for her leader to return until the world burns in flames compared to the chick who has clearly moved on with her life by the time P4 was a thing. I mostly just like Yukari for being attractive, but i can't for the life of me not give out my heart to Aigis, she has love and loyalty build into her, and what at first was just... y'know, code/commads/protocal and stuff to always protect Makoto, turned into real feelings of affection over time due to the MC caring to teach "a weapon" human needs to be human. It doesn't matter if Aigis's feelings are never reciprocated, because she will still love and hurt for the MC being in a gone or ill, THAT IS ALSO RINGS TRUE FOR THE FEMALE MC, Aigis will love you (the mc's) despite your gender still. Don't even get me started on "Memories of You", that song is just Aigis theme of goodbye to the protagonist from what i can tell.

[@ShadowOfMassDestruction]

@@MidnightBikerHostility Cool story and all but I've seen that shi- in like 10 different Anime so I don't care much about that dynamic anymore. Yukari's character type is one of those characters that gets done dirty so you get trash like Sakura Haruno which is why value how good she is. Yukari not only has proper build up to her relationship with work, conflict, and understanding which I vastly prefer over some arbitrary "tied by fate" ahh love when it comes to romantic story telling but her feelings in her love are much more grounded in something I can connect to than some robot.

[@trueNordVPN]

I have to go with Mitsuru for Makoto Yuki, Akihiko for Kotone, Yu belongs with Chie (with Marie is a close second) and Haru wins over Ren (Ann is a close second). They may not be canon, but they're objectively the best options

[@kingkirby1394]

Any world where takemi isn’t in my arms, is no world worth living for 😤 (Maybe chie, naoto or ann)

[@Jermaine2099]

Rise loves Yu so much that she will REVIVE HIM if he dies in battle. I don't see any other girls or Navis doing that 🔥

[@AydenWilliams-x5o]

I knew it wasn't canon but i wanted it so bad, hear me out naoto

[@roseintheheart]

Naoto >>>> all Persona girls

[@ShadowOfMassDestruction]

@@roseintheheart No shot I'm taking Midoato over Chie get that outta heer.

[@Skypatroller_BenCD]

What about Kotone ?

[@nerogoro]

I forgor 💀

[@luklain]

Shinjiro

[@Itzz_n4t]

A lot would say shinji. But I'd say it's akihiko. With romancing Akihiko certain dialogues would change ONLY when you romance him, no dialogue changes with shinji. With romancing Akihiko if you hangout with yukari she brings up Akihiko when she mentions something about a group date

[@angelrodrigodelgadilloruiz1995]

Just like Atlus​@@nerogoro

[@SMTakira]

Honestly i think harem is the true route because at the end of the day that's what all these games really are , and the fact that og persona 3 doesn't even let you friend zone anyone makes me believe that the harem route is what they originally intended.

[@connorburris4846]

If the devs wanted a canon romance, why didn't they just cut the extra romances, and make them platonic? Sheesh.

[@Lazladin]

Well, most of the time i went after my taste, so in 3 Mitsuru it was, but i agree that Makoto thorugh his rather emotionless behaivior fits rather well with aigis. With 4 i had the problem, i startet it on the PS2 (so no Maria) but never finisched it, In that playthrough i went for Yukiko, years later when i got gold on Steam i again went for Yukiko but often thought, maybe i should have gone for Maria or Rise. And 5 was the hardest of them all, i went with Kasumi, just her first entrance alone swiped me, but with every character besides Haru i was like: Damn, i wanna Date her, damn i wanna date her, damn i wanna Date her. Realy every Sociallink made it terribly hard for me to say... no.. sorry, not interrested, and i knew what would happen come Valentinesday if i pick them all XD

[@RedJLP]

Am I the only one looking deeply enough to notice that the true romance path is (or at least should be) based on what the characters *are,* rather what they represent, namely their Arcana and/or their Personas? Then I’m just ripping the Band-Aid off, Fool x Lovers. It’s literally the most consistent romantic path to take across all entries and the people in charge of it must know that because of how they show off if not emphasise the Lovers early on. I might also be the only one to have thoughts beyond just the Fool, namely about the Chariot and Empress. Yes, I understand that Ryuji’s the only male Chariot party member and yes, I also understand that Margaret, a Velvet Room attendant who would likely outlive a human partner, is P4’s Empress. In Margaret’s case, she’s an exception that proves the rule because even though the only girl Kanji has eyes for is the masculine presenting Naoto, Mitsuru is very closely tied to Akihiko from basically the beginning and Haru’s pursuit of horticulture, while a form he’s not used to, Yusuke would still recognise as her equivalent of artistic expression As for the Chariot, it’s admittedly hard to find any consistent romance with anything. My go-to is to say (for however controversial it is in certain ways it manifests) that the Chariot belongs with the Priestess because Ryuji and Makoto’s Showtime becomes incredibly cute when you recognise just what it’s appealing to for the both of them and if Chie and Yukiko were to explore lesbianism, they’re so closely tied together that it wouldn’t make sense to start with anyone else, but then we have Aigis who’s a Chariot via her Persona, but an Aeon via her Social Link, an Arcana that’s reserved for unearthly entities seeking to learn more about being human, thus making everything I say about Velvet Room attendants valid here. Honestly, as the navigator and as a result, probably the most tech savvy person to enter Tartarus, Fuuka would still have an interest in how she worked, so while not romantic, it’s a relationship with an (admittedly unconventional but still notably) incredible sense of intimacy

[@Handlelesswithme]

Persona 3 harem route is cannon. This one option is most close to the fools journey’s theme

[@RedJLP]

@ How? Know you nothing about *why* the Lovers is thought of as a sign of relationships in present day? Yes, it’s more generally about crossroads as a whole, but more specifically, the idea of sacrificing one life path for another. Since it’s a meaning that came around when marriage was as good as irreversible, can you find fault in anyone taking that to mean specifically a choice between what’s right and what’s easy? If so, I don’t doubt you’d be vehemently against certain themes for how Arcana like Lovers and Death are represented by their Personas’ mythological theme

[@Handlelesswithme]

@@RedJLP i worked as a legit psychic read and have to tell you that the choice in the lover’s arcana is not one of good or bad where it is what’s easy over what’s good, It is a choice and a tough one your on a fence about not one decided already by morals The example on some cards is of an older woman represented by a passionate red or a younger girl represented by a pure white. None are necessarily good or bad or moral or immoral options, merely different

[@IsonadeBlue]

Bro Maya supremacy persona 2 for the win

[@spaghettithegamer1344]

Tbh for me P3:yukari P4:chie P5:all at once

[@lalalalakamehameha]

aigis has always been my favorite p3 character, her ship with the protag is one of my favorite ships of all time

[@CrazyWeridoRH]

I'm not gay or bisexual, but god do I wish they had a bisexual option because I would romance Yusuke in a heartbeat because that would have to be the funniest and most interesting dynamic out of all the waifus available.

[@porg-fv8vi]

I remember hearing this before but the reason why The Makato (P3) gets shipped with Mitsuru is because their VAs in Persona Q games are married IRL. Thats what I remember hearing

[@sebavju]

That's correct, but the English voice actors

[@Handlelesswithme]

Correct, but she also voices Elizabeth

[@sp3dweed673]

All of them, no question.

[@Handlelesswithme]

Persona 3 yes

[@shadowcat321]

Spoilers If I remember correctly Margaret mention Elizabeth is absent because she is trying to find a way to free the protagonist of 3 because he is precious to her I might be wrong I haven't play them for a long time

[@riftshredder5438]

I romanced all the girls in Persona 3 because I like to believe that his legacy lived on through all of them after the end of the game, if you know what I mean

[@Gamingloner15]

Aigis/Rise/Makoto

[@Mikesh0450N]

I just realized they could have had another female character in persona 3 reload but they decided not too i know there's metis in fes but she's not a romance option

[@j3fk4]

Persona 4 and Persona 4 Golden have different true romance Persona 5 and persona 5 Royal have different true romance. Agree that true romance for Persona 3 (and Persona 3 reload)is Aegis.

[@ArlenPierce]

Someone please tell me how many spoilers there are in this video. I wanna watch but I’ve literally never finished a Persona Title, trying to get back on the horse. Halfway through P3. Thanks

[@RezeedTheDataspirit]

I can't believe you forgot Yosuke, Kanji, and Akechi as Romance options.(Kidding)

[@Zaw517]

Everyone knows the og p3 doesn’t let you have a choice and you’ll grow a harem if you wanna just max out every social link

[@Handlelesswithme]

All social links are cannon 😛

[@yinyin8769]

Them shoving Sumi down the players throat is what made me dislike her as a romance option. She is barely relevant to the plot until the third semester, so it just feels incredibly forced and out of place to have every interaction with her up until that point be randomly kind of romantic. The MC spends hours forming subtle yet genuine bonds with most other girls, only for the game to end up screaming at you to forget them all and date Sumi instead. I hope they don’t do this again.

[@Megidolaon999]

Tru. However, Maruki.

[@ShadowOfMassDestruction]

@yinyin8769 Aigis is much better but I still feel the same way about her as you do with Sumi. I don't like romances that hinge on coming in way too late for me to care especially when other dynamics have already been properly established.

[@aresrivera9744]

3:47 actually it’s chihiro if we’re talking about P3 fes . Because we know in persona four, she had her social link completed as she’s no longer afraid of men. But in p3 fes you can’t friend zone anybody meaning makoto canonically dates her . There you go I found out for you lol 😂

[@Gl1tchycat]

The canonical romance for joker is ALL the girls. I’m pretty sure the anime is like that

[@Iluvatar196]

P3 : somehow I managed to not date anyone. Possibly because I only played P3P and played as FeMC P4 : debated between Naoto and Rise, but Naoto won because gap moe P5 : picked the degenerate option that is Futaba

[@nerogoro]

Damn…

[@flygonkerel781]

marie is the absolute best goddesss waifu

[@shabinatendean8325]

I ain't gonna date anyone else but Aigis in P3 just because i'm not about to give someone's daughter a live long trauma of having their ex turned into door-kun lmao P4 is hard because i'm team cringy Rise but for the sake of reconciling a broken marriage, i ended up going for Marie as for P5R there's no debate. Team Sumi all the way! My boy Joker even said that he doesn't want to let her go in one of his choices. I am not a monster who is going to reject such beloved girl's confession (besides, who am i to separate them when they have a whole ass couple outfit going for their Phantom Thieves costume and a fricking showtime in a church where they fly, spin and dance around together like they're canon lol)

[@TheFatestPat]

There isn't supposed to be a "true" choice. The whole point of having options in an RPG is that you decide what happens. The Japanese don't seem to quite get that. Or maybe they do and they just don't like it.