Many fans of the Persona series have heard about scrapped voice clips and text hidden in the files of Persona 4 that seem to feature suggestive dialogue between he and the main character. If you haven't, well, basically it seems like Yusuke was originally supposed to be romanceable in Persona 4. Objectively, this isn't very surprising given⭕ the fact that there already is gay-romance option available to players earlier in the series.
Jun Kurosu in Persona 2 is heavily implied to be gay, and the player can pursue a romantic relationship with him through a series of dialogue choices. Additionally, in Persona 3 Portable, there is some questionable dialogue that can occur between the female protagonist and the other female characters that she bonds with. However, since Jun, there hasn't been one explicit gay romance option in any of the series entries to date. This is especially unfortunate because there are 🌼actually quite a few male social links that could have been great options for possible romantic options.
10 Yosu🤡ke (Persona 4)
As previously mentioned, there is actual 𒅌evidence that ther🐓e may have been an option to pursue a romantic relationship with Yusuke had the developers not scrapped it (or at the very least, there was VERY heavy sexual tension between he and the main character). Ultimately, they should have kept the option on the table for so many different reasons.
For starters, the main character and Yusuke are shown to h🍰ave a very close companionship. Yusuke appears to care deeply about the wellbeing of the main character, going as far as to refer to him as "partner" throughout the game. Furthermore, he seems to demonstrate a strange fixation on the main character's dating life and the types of people he tends to be interested in.
9 Ryuji (Per𝓀sona 5) 🏅
Similar to Yusuke, Ryuji is the protagonist's first friend in Persona 5. He is shown to 🍨have natural chemistry with the m🌼ain character, and his confidant reveals his resolve in opening himself up to relying on others when he needs to.
The direction of his confidant seems like there cou꧃ld have been a way to naturally incorporate an option of romance with the main character in that Ryuji allows himself to rely on him, and wants the main charact𒉰er to feel like he can rely on him as well.
8 ♚ Bebe (Persona 3)
Bebe is of the Temperance arcana in Persona 3, and the main character can start the social ꦐlink by joining the Fashion Club. He's a foreign exchange student with a very bubbly personality, and is extremely excited to have a friend in Japan.
He's so eager to se🏅e and spend time with the main character that he will often wait outside his classroom on days when Fashion Club meets to ask if you'd like to attend the club that day. Bebe co꧅uld have easily been a wholesome romance option in the game given his affection for the main character.
7 🌃 🍌 Kanji (Persona 4)
Kanji isn't on this list simply because of Persona 4's exploration of his sexuality. Kanji is shown to have a soft spot for the main character ♍throughout the game. He always seems in awe of his ability as a leader, and openly compliments his appearance frequently🦹 as well.
Kanji may have been the character that the developers could have most easily included a romance option for in th🍎e game given the fact t🌳hat his sexuality is already discussed so openly. It could have been a great avenue to further explore the notions of gender and sexuality that Kanji grapples with throughout the game.
6 🌃 🃏 Junpei (Persona 3)
Junpei is possibly the most egregious example of a character that should have been romanceable but wasn't, because not only was he n♍ot romanceable for the male protagonist, but the female protagonist of Persona 3 Portable either!
This is clearly connected to his canon plot-driven romance with Chidori in the game. Despite this, Junpei definitely shows natural chemꦓistry towards bo𒊎th protagonists and could have been a really wholesome romance option.
5 🦩 Mishima (Persona♊ 5)
Essentially the Phantom Thieves' groupie, Mishima looks up to the protagonist and his cohorts for their efforts in enacting justice, having been a victim of bullying in the past. He is shown to be one of the characters that believes in the Phantom Thieves the most, and could have been a more grounded relationship that the 🌳protagonist could have pursued in the game (given that he wasn't an adult or another member of the main party).
4 ꧂ Daisuke (Perso🐷na 4)
More stoic and reserved than his counterpart Kou, Daisuke is one of two options for the Strength social link. His social link focuses on his difficulty with women and fearꦛ of rejection. Daisuke is shown to be a bit socially awkward at times, but he always seems to mean well.
At the end o🔥f his social link, he finally gains some closure by speaking to his ex-girlfriend. This could have opened up a🉐 path for Daisuke to pursue another relationship with the protagonist as they've bonded over him moving on from the past.
3 ♚ Naoki Konishi (Persona 4)
As the brother of murder victim Saki Konishi, Naoki has a hard time processing the death of his sister and how Inaba treats him as a result of it. The protagonist is one of the first people that he feels🔯 he can confide in, because he doesn't look down on him with pity.
The social link is heart-warming in the sense that the protagonist is instrumental in Naoki coming to terms with the🎉 loss of his sister. He seems genuinely appreciative and invested in his relationship with the protagonist, so a romance option wouldn't have felt out of left-field.
2 𒀰 Kenji (Persona 3)
Although Kenji's social link primarily focuses on his attempt (and success) with romancing one of Gekkoukan's teachers, there is quite a bit of dialogue that almost seems to hint at both the protagonist and Kenji s💜howing interest in one another. Some dialogue options throughout the social link can imply that the protagonist is jealous of the attention that Kenji is giving to someone else.
At the end of the social link, Kenji is heartbroken when his relationsh🎶ip falls through, but finds comfort in the fact that he knows that he has the protagonist in his life still--even blushing after realizing that what he said seems to carry a double-meaning and that he feels very strongly towards him.
1 💜 Noಌzomi (Persona 3)
The self-proclaimed and famous "Gourmet King", Nozomi is a bit refreshing as a social link because he doesn't fꦕit the traditional conventionally-attractive image of almost every other character around the same age as the protagonist (unfortunately, his larger figure is played for jokes in the game).
Nozomi takes it upon himself to be a "mentor" of the protagonist, and although he lashes out against him at times for an inferiority complex that he possesses from his more successful brother, he shows genuine growth by the end of the social link. It would have been refreshing to enable him💞 to pursue a romantic relationship with the protagonist with his newfound confidence.