The original PS2 version of Persona 3 introduced RPG fans to Social Links, and , carries forward this popular method of character bonding to a fandom well accustomed to them a🌠fter the fourth and fifth titles

Persona 3's Social Links aren't the most popular batch overall, but they've got some darn good ones. For our yen, these are its eight best.

8 🗹 𝓡 Maya (Hermit)

There is no getting around it: Maya's Social Link is problematic. As your relationship with this fellow MMORPG player deepens through online interactions, she gradually opens up, eventually informing you that she's a teacher. A teacher... with lustful thoughts towards the protagonist, who is a 17-year-old student of hers. She doesn't even realize you're him for a long time - go figure.

Starting off this list with a paragraph on problematic content is a bit odd, but here's the thing. Sweep that significant issue aside, and Maya is great. (And it's not like the Persona series isn't guilty of this stuff several times.)

Maya, or rather, the teacher whose online persona (heh), perfectly encapsulates the sort of e-language commonly found in the 2000s. It's kind of adorable? And nostalgic? She's got some of the most iconic quotes in Persona 3 Reload, too... all of which are hilariously vulgar.

7 𝓡 Tanaka (Devil) ꦇ

President Tanaka is a jerk, but unlike some of Persona 3 Reload's other jerkish Social Link characters, he's so unabashedly true to himself that we can't seem to avoid loving the guy. He's interested in the protagonist only after their Charm is high, and they've forked over 40,000 yen - and primarily because he sees a commercial modeling opportunity through you.

Unfortunately for us, Tanaka is just too funny. This enterprising capitalist pops up in Persona 4 and 5 as well, and he has a bit of an unfair advantage as a result; it's more enriching when you order his products to that infamous theme song he deploys when you understand who he is on a deeper basis.

6 Pharos (Death꧙)

An automatic Social Link which lasts throughout much of the story, Pharos is that seemingly creepy boy who makes you sign a contract at the beginning of the game. His appearances during certain evenings are intentionally presented as unnerving, and it's easy to fall into the belief that he's some kind of... closet serial killer? Or something?

But he isn't. Pharos is intrinsically linked to Makoto Yuki in ways which we would rather keep hush-hush on, even in an article like this one, which spoils aspects of other characters. Suffice to say, if you know, you know. And if you do know, you might well know why we like him so much as a Social Link.

5 Bunkichi and Mitsuko (Hierophant) ﷽ ❀

An old couple with hearts of gold and irresistibly nice personalities, Bunkichi and are facing a painful reminder of the untimely passing of their son. The persimmon tree their son planted with his first class of students at Gekkoukan High School is about to get cut down, and that tree has become a lasting symbol of a young man's kindness and accomplishments.

There is a happy ending here that doesn't escape the hard truths these two have to face. The solution to the problem does not compromise on the issue. We love seeing them come to terms with what has transpired and carry on with their lives together.

4 𒊎Maiko (Hanged Man)

A grade-school girl facing a difficult event in her life that hits some players all too relatably, Maiko faces the pending divorce of her mother and father. Given her age, she has a difficult time understanding why. It doesn't help that her parents won't even tell her, likely because they assume she won't get it.

Helping Maiko through the ordeal is a rewarding experience. Factor in the fact that Makoto Yuki lost his parents at an early age, and you have a recipe for even more meaningfulness. Makoto is here for a child who is about to lose an apparent sense of stability that he himself has lacked since roughly the same age. It's a lot.

3 Bebe

Bebe is a French transfer student whose dedication to fitting into Japanese culture is as amusing as it is realis🐠tic... and as realistic as it🅰 is borderline-caricature. Every time you get a text from this guy, he adds the suffix "-dono" to your name, which manages to come across as funny even in a series whose localizations consistently include honorifics.

Of course, Bebe develops over the course of his ten ranks in cool ways. But his charming spin on tackling culture shock never fades, and it's an enjoyable exercise in seeing what it might be like to try your luck at integrating in a strikingly different sort of society.

2 Yukari (Lovers) 🙈

Yukari shares an important trait with Mitsuru, Aigis, and Fuuka. All four young women are members of SEES, and as such, they have full-fledged arcs throughout the game. This gives them a considerable edge, and Yukari's harrowing yet ultimately heartwarming journey might be the best of them all.

Yukari overcomes so much well-written strife that it is hard not to root for her. Just think - the first t🌺ime we see her, she has an Evoker to her head, but newcomers to Persona 3 are led to believe this is a far darker moment.

By the time you can unlock her Social Link, she's gone through so much; and you can see how her further trials and tribulations have affected her with each passing rank.

1 Akinar🎉i (Su𓃲n)

Even Persona fans who regard the bulk of the third game's group as underwhelming (or outright bad) tend to cite Akinari Kamiki's Social Link as a franchise highlight. You'll meet him through Maiko at Naganaki Shrine, though you will have to wait until August before you see him again.

Akinari is terminally ill at the utterly unfair age of just 19. He is forg⛦ing a final outlook on the me🌜aning of life.

It's powerful. Had the writers botched this, it would have been kind of easy to tell, even for all of us who are fortunate enough to have made it well past 19. Yet it is as authentic as anyone who isn't going through this firsthand can possibly convey.

There is nothing like the Sun Social Link anywhere else in Persona, and Persona 3 Reload has provided us with an even stronger script through which to cherish Akinari Kamiki's final days with him.