Persona 3 Portableis an expansion ofPersona 3that adds a variety of new content, including social links, a boss, and an alternate gender option for the protagonist that shifts how you interact with characters. It’s the only version of Persona 3 that offers a female protagonist, which gives the game an extra level of replay value for every social link.
Related:Persona 3 Portable: What Does Character Choice Affect?
But not every social link is intuitive to finish. Sometimes links can expire as the story progresses, the ways to advance them are obtuse, or getting through them takes a high time orsocial stat investment. Regardless of the reason, there are several social links you’re unlikely to see on your first playthrough, leaving some hidden or unexplored plot points you might have missed.
10Bebe: Cultural Studies With Temperance
The main reason you might have missed Bebe’s story is that at a certain point in his story (the game’s third full moon), he has to return to his homeland. A large part of the Frenchman’s story and link involves convincing him to stay in Japan, as well as helping him make a Kimono that he believes will convince his uncle to let him stay.
The story reflects a positive image of cultural exchange, in which Bebe is genuinely interested in Japanese culture, and you have an opportunity to ask Bebe what France is like. It’s quite a sweet and worthwhile story to experience (with light romance as the female protagonist), which is why it’s so cruel that it disappears so soon.
9Mutatsu: Talk Of Family With The Tower
Mutatsu’s story is fairly easy to miss because of the contrived method with which you must start it. to even get into Mutatsu’s link, you have to have a courage stat of four, progress to a certain point in another link depending on your gender, and help a bartender take his customer’s orders. After all that, you can finally approach him, and the link is quite easy to complete.
Mutatsu’s story focuses a lot on his relationship with his family since they left him a while before the protagonist met him. His development over the course of the link is quite sweet, as you realize that he truly does miss his family despite his demeanor. The ending of the link is worth the contrived way of getting to its introduction.
8Ryoji: With Fortune, With Love
If you know anything about the plot of any version of Persona 3, you know who Ryoji is and the huge choice you need to make around him. His main story is integral to the plot of Persona 3, but it’s likely that you would miss out on his social link since it’s not only locked to the female protagonist but also easy to get locked out of.
Related:Persona 3 Portable: Differences Between The Male and Female Route
The context that his link gives, though, adds additional meaning and tension to the finality of the decision he later forces you to make. While it’s easy to lose this route, it’s also fairly easy to stay on since the only requirement is to go with him when he asks you to. This route is a must-play on any repeat playthroughs if you missed it the first time.
7Shinjiro: The Cool Light Of The Moon
Shinjiro’s plotline can be missed because his rank ten social link is predicated on a fetch quest being completed before October fourth, which will lock progress if left uncompleted. This social link is also exclusive to the female protagonist. What’s great about this story is that it actually has interesting consequences for Shinjiro’s character in the plot.
The caring side of Shinjiro’s character seen in this context will really warm you up to him. The cool facade that the male protagonist sees is peeled back, and a romantic side to his character is revealed if the link is completed fast enough.
6Bunkichi And Mitsuko: The Hierophants' Heart
The story of Bunkichi and Mitsuko is odd since they are both part of the social link that tells it. You may have missed this one because this version’s Bunkichi gets trapped in Tartarus; if you don’t save him before a certain point in the story, the Hierophant social link is closed permanently.
This plotline is worth saving Bunkichi forbecause the story of love and grief has a resonant message. Bunkichi and Mitsuko coming to the conclusion that honoring a loved one’s wishes is more important than honoring their memory is heartwarming, as well as the friendship that they make with the protagonist.
5Akinari: The Sun, Supernova
Akinari’s story can be missed due to the moving pieces it involves; you need a certain level of a link with Maiko as well as a rank four smart stat, and if you talk to him too early, you might forget to give him a critical item when you later receive it. Once you’re on his path, though, progress becomes automatic.
Related:Persona 3 Portable: Most Memorable Quotes
This story of terminal illness is bothone of the saddestand most hopeful in any version of Persona 3, and in Portable, the alternate protagonist’s dialogue options give conversations a few interesting differences. For example, when Akinari asks, “Why is this only happening to me?” the male protagonist answers a pessimistic “It’s like God hates you,” whereas the female protagonist’s response is more nihilistic with “God’s whims, maybe?”.
4Maya: Long-Distance With The Hermit
Maya is a character whose identity is obfuscated by the online game that you speak with her through. This plotline can be pretty easily missed if you play the female protagonist or miss out on a copy of Innocent Sin given by Junpei.
Helping Maya through messaging each other online is worth seeing just based on the premise, predicting online dating years before it became mainstream. Plus, you may’t miss out on the dated language she ends up using throughout the link to sound hip to the time.
3Yuko: Facing The Future Takes Strength
Yuko’s story can be missed if you play the female protagonist or don’t reach a certain point of the Chariot’s social link. Your relationship with her starts when you offer to walk her home, and from there, it is an automatic link with no requirements, with the potential for a romantic relationship.
Yuko’s social link is one of the more wholesome ones, where you make a positive impact on each other’s lives and help her decide on what she wants to be in life. Additionally, all the romantic parts of the plotline are just as wholesome.
2Nozomi: Moonlight Dinner
Nozomi’s social link is one of the harder ones to get to, with it being initially difficult to unlock and progressing in a standard way, meaning you have to sacrifice more time with other social links. It’s only natural that you might see another social link as more valuable for the time investment. Plus, you can’t even play this route if you’re playing as the female protagonist.
Despite the high bar for entry, Nozomi’s story is quite surprising when you get to it, with his participation in a cult being a key part of its proceedings. The happy ending is a good prize for the amount of work you put in.
1Tanaka: Dancing With The Devil
Tanaka’s story is locked behind very specific stats, timings, and actions that make itdifficult to catch without a guide or luck. Thankfully, his actual social link is automatic once it starts, making it smooth sailing from there.
His classic heart of gold is one of the great reasons to get close to him, as he turns out to be a much better person than he lets on at first. Plus, it gives a lot of context to a character that will persist in bothPersona 4andPersona 5.
