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The pretty sports team manager who could not care less about sports themselves, Ai Ebihara serves the role of your Moon arcana inPersona 4 Golden. The daughter of a business mogul who focuses on aesthetics and has a crippling fear of rejection, your social link with Ai sees Yu help her learn to love herself again.
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The road to this revelation requires some teenage rom-com recon work on your part, but you’re exactly the kind of friend (or more) that Ai really needs right now. We’ve got you covered on how to get closer to Ai Ebihara in Persona 4 Golden.
This guide contains slight spoilers for the story of Persona 4 Golden.
How To Start Ai’s Social Link
While Ai’s social link is completely her own, unlocking the ability to begin speaking to her requires a bit of prep work.
Ai’s social link doesn’t unlock until you’ve reachedRank 4of yourStrengthsocial link. That’s Kou Ichijo, if you choose to be on the basketball team, while it’ll be Daisuke Nagase if you went for the soccer team instead. She’ll be the team manager for whichever of the sports clubs you elect to join.
Additionally, once you’ve reached Rank 4 of the Strength social link, you still have to haveRank 3 Couragebefore you can begin speaking to her.
Once you have these prerequisites complete, begin Ai’s social link by firsttalking to heron thefirst floor of Yasogami High.
It’s worth noting before you begin thatAi has one of the most difficult social links to max.Not only is her link contingent upon your social link with either Daisuke or Kou, but you can alsoundo your progress with Aiby making the wrong decisions in your dialogue.
You can alsobreak Ai’s social linkwith a wrong dialogue choice on theFalse Romancepath atRank 9, which we’ll elaborate on in the tables below.
If youreverse Ai’s social link, you can simplyspeak with her againon another day to fix it. The action won’t consume time, and your relationship will be back to normal the following day.
If youbreak Ai’s social link, however, it remains broken. This can only happen once, thankfully, but tread lightly!
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How To Rank Up Ai’s Social Link
As with all characters in Persona 4 Golden, you earn bonus affinity with Ai simply by having a Persona of the same arcana in your party.
She’s your Moon social link, so hit the Velvet Room tograb a Moon Personawhen you’re going to see Ai.
If you’re trying toromance Ai, beware that you’ll have a false start before theactualromance can begin, which isn’t untilRank 10.
You’re presented with the option to “be Ai’s boyfriend” during herRank 6scene, but it’s clear this is no ordinary romance. Agreeing to date Ai here will put you on a completely separate path thatlocks Ai’sactualromance path.
Additionally, your scenes with her forRanks 7-10 will be differentfrom her normal scenes that lead to the actual romance or platonic choice at Rank 10. We’ll help you make the best choices for both paths.
Points Earned With A Matching Persona
Points Earned WithoutA Matching Persona
“Hey, you wanna ditch class? Don’t worry, we’ll be back before the last bell.”
“Sure, why not?”
Proceed to Ai’s Rank 1 scene
“Not really…”
Leave the conversation - cancels Ai’s Rank 1 scene until you agree to ditch with her
“Just knowing everyone else is still stuck at school studying makes it feel great to be out here.”
“It’s okay once in a while.”
—
“You shouldn’t ditch class.”
“This is boring…”
“Alright, I’ll come.”
“Got money to burn?”
“…Whose card is that?”
“Hmm, doesn’t look like they’ve gotten anything new in. I already have all this…”
“Why do you buy so much…?”
“We’ll have to come back.”
3
2
“Stop complaining.”
“Buy me an ice latte.”
“Buy it yourself.”
“Let’s split one.”
1
“They should get rid of all salespeople and put in vending machines. Press a button, and out come your clothes.”
“Sounds like a good idea.”
“That’d be kind of boring.”
“What should we do instead?”
“Come shopping with me.”
“Let’s just chill.”
“Why are we here again…?”
“Looking at it from your perspective, I’d say you got pretty lucky.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Not exactly…”
“Can’t you be nice?”
“You coulda talked to him…”
“That was downright cruel…”
Reverses Ai’s social link
“Are looks everything?”
Ai’s Persona 4 Golden Social Link, Rank 4
If you reversed Ai’s social link during her Rank 3 scene, you’ll need to spend time with her again to fix your relationship. Ai’s Rank 4 scene will play out the next time you hang out with her after that.
If you didn’t reverse the social link, Rank 4’s scene plays out as normal.
The conversation is getting more and more vulgar…
Stop them
3 (to your Strength social link, Kou or Daisuke)
2 (to your Strength social link, Kou or Daisuke)
Ignore them
“……”
“…Did you hear them?”
Let’s go.""
“Th-Thank you for that, last time…”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re welcome.”
“I didn’t do much.”
“Do you think maybe I’m his type? O-Or do you think he hates… people like me?”
“He probably does.”
“Have a little confidence.”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“All I need you to do is… ask him what’s his type. That’s it.”
“No problem.”
“Not gonna happen!”
Ai’s Persona 4 Golden Social Link, Rank 6
If you reversed Ai’s social link during her Rank 5 scene, you’ll need to spend time with her again to fix your relationship. Ai’s Rank 6 scene will play out the next time you hang out with her after that.
If you didn’t reverse the social link, Rank 6’s scene plays out as normal.
“But if I can’t be loved, then… Then what’s the point!?”
“Try to calm down.”
“Come over here…”
“I’ll hear you out.”
“It’s not like I have any other redeeming qualities…”
“You’re still young.”
“He just doesn’t know you.”
“I’ll yell at him later.”
“Haha, just kidding…”
“I’ll be your boyfriend.”
False Romance path begins, no further choices
Proceed to next prompt
“Hey… Why don’t you and I just go out?”
“Sounds good.”
False Romance path begins
“Are you sure about that?”
Normal path continues
Normal Path
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to keep making you hang out with me…”
“I don’t mind.”
“About time you said it.”
“I wonder why…”
“Because we’re friends.”
“You have a crush on me.”
“Because I’m special to you.”
False Romance Path
“Hey, why don’t you pick out some clothes for me? What do you think I’d look good in?”
“Isn’t that right, (Protagonist)?”
“We are?”
“…Do you think I’m pretty?”
“Of course you are.”
“Not really.”
“What’s wrong?”
“He was just… a normal, good guy. I guess what I felt was kind of a fleeting thing.”
“Happens all the time.”
“You can be so cruel.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“(Protagonist)… Do you love me?”
“Of course…”
“You need me, right?”
“Do I really have to say it?”
Help her
See what happens
“Uh… Sorry, was that unnecessary?”
“Thank you.”
“Are you alright?”
“That was reckless of you…”
“I think we need to… break up.”
“I don’t want that.”
“You’re being selfish.”
“I’m so worthless…”
“That’s not true.”
“Then let’s find your value.”
“You decide your own worth.”
“I’m sure you’ll eventually hate me… and then you’ll leave me.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Well, that could happen…”
“You can’t live in fear.”
“Is there any way… that we could just be friends?”
“I knew the whole time.”
“We need time apart.”
Breaks social link(see below)
Unlike reversing a social link, which can be repaired with a non-ranking hangout,breakinga social link in Persona 4 Golden is permanent!Ai will not speak to you after this, and the game will behave as if your relationship with her does not exist.
Additionally,Ai remembers this choice in a NG+ playthrough. If you move on after breaking her social link, you’re locked out of maxing it in both this playthroughandany subsequent ones.
Ai’s Persona 4 Golden Social Link, Rank 10
Only available if you did not break Ai’s social link at Rank 9 (False Lovers path).
What will you do…?
Accept her
Romance path
Reject her
Platonic path
“Still… I’m not good at being alone. I know it’s a lot to ask, but… will you stay by my side?”
“Of course I will.”
“I’ll do my best…”
“You’re strong enough now.”
Keeping all of this in mind on her notedly difficult social link, you’ll now have everything you need to max Ai Ebihara’s social link in Persona 4 Golden.
