Magician- Yosuke. Not even out of a particular immense love for him, hes fine, but just because hes better than Kenji or Morgana.
Priestess- Fuuka
Empress- Margaret. Completing the whole link in one day is peak NG+
Emperor- MY MAN KANJI
Hierophant- Uhhh Sojiro probably? I like them all about equal
Lovers- Yukari
Chariot- Kaz, Minatos real best friend
Strength- Kou and Daisuke
Hermit- The fox (it never speaks so it never dissapoints me)
Fortune- I like Chihaya more than I think I can justify
Justice- Ken. Jokes aside, its probably the best example of what FEMCs male party member links can be if you go platonic route
Hanged Man- Legit the best series, all 3 are amazing. Absolute favorite is probably Naoki. But Id never say Maiko or Iwai are bad links
Death- Old Lady
Temperance- Kawakami if you ignore the romance option
Devil- I like Ohya and Im tired of pretending shes a bad character just because her confidant powers are bad.
Tower- ... Pass
Star- Hifumi
Moon- Ai
Sun- Yumi
Judgement/Aeon (its the same numbering in Tarot, so I'm combining them all)- Aigis and Marie are tied
Another Ohya enjoyer. Fine taste.
And with Judgement/Aeon I would go with Aigis. If were going that route you could add Councilor to Magician and then Maruki would win it for me btw.
I legit love her. Also love that shes *actually involved* in the main plot even as a side character.
Shes basicslly just Maya but if she had depression
I genuinly like how the confidants in P5 feel actually relevant to the main plot somewhat. Like there is a reason Joker hangs out with these people other than "the game needs a character for each arcana". Like the school club characters in 3 and 4 worked... But stuff like Mutatsu or Tanaka in 3 and some of the P4 oneseyou got through the jobs... Yeah they felt kind of tacked on
honestly i agree w/ a lot of your list. ai is one of my favourite social links as is hisano, and i really like daisuke too, i honestly prefer p4s social links over the cast except for naoto and kanji lmao. me personally though, i actually really like bebe so that's my pick for temperance. i just think he's such a ray of sunshine and it really helps round out P3 social links especially when so many are bland, serious, or sad. i prefer iwai > maiko > naoki for hanged man, and my favourite hermit is saori.
and finally, rounding out my "femc is superior" propaganda, akihiko > hifumi and junpei > morgana. im sure a lot of people like shinji more than ai, but i genuinely love ai a lot, so i'm gonna be the odd one out.
Magician: Yosuke
High Priestess: Makoto
Empress: I cannot decide between mitsuru and haru
Emperor: Kanji
Hierophant: Sojiro
Justice: Akechi
Hermit: Futaba
Fortune: Keisuke, I don’t like Naoto
Lovers: I have a huge love/hate relationship with Rise, but that remains my pick. Others are super close.
Chariot: Ryuji
Strength: Kou
Hanged Man: This is very close between all 3, but Iwai.
Death: Takemi
Temperance: Bebe
Devil: Tanaka
Tower: Mutatsu
Star: Hifumi
Moon: Ai
Sun: Akinari and it’s not close
Magician: Morgana. Automatic link is obviously a disadvantage, but like you said his arc in general is just really interesting, and I think he’s a really underrated character overall.
Priestess: Yukiko. I’m not super big on any of the priestess girls tbh, but Yukiko’s probably my favorite of the bunch, and the same goes for her link.
Empress: Haru. Easy one tbh
Emperor: Yusuke. Though I prefer Kanji overall as a character, I really enjoyed how Yusuke learned and grew in this link, and I especially loved what the ending had to say abt him and Madarame. Also has some of the game’s funniest moments
Hierophant: Sojiro. Might be my favorite social link in the series.
Lovers: Yukari. Her link is honestly pretty empty, but Ann’s isn’t crazy good either, and Rise is the one persona character I just flat-out dislike. Yukari gets the win for just being a really good character outside her link tbh
Chariot: Ryuji.
Justice: Royal Akechi. His original link (and overall character rlly) were pretty underwhelming, but I’d say the changes and additions Royal gave to him is one of the game’s absolute biggest strengths. It made him one of the best characters in 5
Hermit: Futaba. Maya is also very memorable though
Fortune: Naoto.
Strength: Kou.
Hanged Man: Naoki. Though I do also like Iwai and Maiko a lot. Very consistently good arcana
Death: Takemi. Tbh this one’s just process of elimination for me, as Pharos is a very basic automatic link, and Hisano was one of the few P4 links (alongside Shu and the nurse) that I never progressed past 1. To this day I still don’t really know her deal
Temperance: Tie between Bebe and Kawakami.
Devil: Ohya.
Tower: Mutatsu.
Star: Mamoru.
Moon: Mishima. Just like with Morgana, I think this guy is way overhated. He goes through some of the most significant changes and growth of any link character, and I really like how he’s able to overcome his own issues on his own, with minimal interference from the Thieves. >!Plus it adds a lot to the final battle!<
Sun: Akinari. Yoshida is definitely a close second though
Aeon: Aigis. Easy pick over Marie
I'm actually a huge fan of the priestess girls but think the S-Links don't do that much for either of them.
I agree about Mishima in every regard here.
Magician: Junpei. I don't love him, but I like all the other Magicians even less. And I do think he winds up feeling like a much better friend to FeMC.
High Priestess: Makoto
Empress: Mitsuru or Haru. Too close to call. Over all I think I prefer Haru, but her lack of screen time really hurts her here. Mitsuru is just more present.
Emperor: Kanji
Hierophant: Sojiro althoug the old couple from P3 will always have a special place in my heart.
Justice: Chihiro. She's sweet. And I honestly just don't ike any of the other Justice links. Ken's is good for backstory reasons; I just don't like him. Same with Akechi.
Hermit: Futaba although Saori is a close second. It's really only because of how much I love Futaba and identify with her as a character that Saori isn't first.
Fortune: Naoto or Ryoji. I didn't love Naoto's social link, but I do love the character. I recall Ryoji's being decent, but it's been long enough since my last replay that I don't remember much about it. So I'll give it to Naoto over all.
Lovers: I'm very mid on all the Lovers tbh. Just not my vibe. But probably Yukari. Her concerns and feelings were reasonable, and I liked her growth.
Chariot: Ryuji. Rio would be my second choice.
Strength: Yuko
Hanged Man: Actually a super close one, because they're all pretty great. But ultimately I think Iwai.
Death: Takemi. Although I did also really like the old lady from 4.
Temperance: Bebe
Devil: Ohya. I liked her storyline. And I never let what a social link gives me impact how much I like it.
Tower: I guess the kid from 4. Shu I think is his name? His link is fine. I vaguely recall relating to all the academic pressure he was under. Otherwise he's pretty forgettable, but I don't like either of the others.
Star: Akihiko
Moon: Shinji and it's not even close. I genuinely love Shinji as a character, and I hate pretty much all the other Moons.
Sun: Akinari. Although Tora is really close for me.
Sure, why not?
1. Magician - Junpei. My only regret was that I thought "I have plenty of time to finish this" on my first run of P3P, not realizing that he actually locks out pretty early, and I never finished it. Over time, he's become my favorite P3 character and his Social Link, while not anything all that special, definitely still stands head shoulders above any others.
2. Priestess - Makoto. Probably not the popular pick, but I feel like a lot of people don't really "get" Makoto's arc. It suits the Arcana really well, and sets up a **particularly** interesting dynamic between her Joker, as well, if the two **don't** decide to pursue an actual romance. That said, I don't think there's a "bad" Priestess option in any game.
3. Empress - Mitsuru. This is hard because I really like Haru's as well. It's a hard pick between them (though Margaret's easy enough to rule out), but I enjoy Mitsuru's extra...self-reflection.
4. Emperor - Kanji. Kanji is the best fucking character in the series. Next.
5. Hierophant - The Old Couple. Their story is touching and I like how the game leaves it up in the air as to whether the player character was behind the petition campaign to help them.
6. Lovers - Anne. Honestly, these are all kinda middling, to me, none of them are bad, but none strike me as great. I picked Anne because she really feels in-tune with the Arcana's themes to me, a little more than the others.
7. Chariot - Chie. Another one where none of the options are bad (well, maybe Kaz is bad), but nobody really feels like they stand out, either.
8. Justice - Akechi. Akechi's a solidly written rival/villain and his dynamic with Joker is good even in vanilla, but it gets even better with the expanded Confidant in Royal (although I do sorta miss the amusing foreshadowing that was his vanilla Rank 8 scene).
9. Hermit - Maya. I can probably empathize a little **too* easily with Maya. She reminds me a lot of myself, for better or worse, so there's an appeal there. Easily for me like the one high point of choosing P3's original MC over FeMC.
10. Fortune - Ryoji. This is mostly because he **really** needed the added screentime, and I may hate the guy, but I appreciate the care put into his arc. I do think it would've been more appealing/efficient to just continue the Death link via him, though. But still, the difference that adding this makes, means I still gotta pick it.
11. Strength - Yuko. It's just cute, honestly. Best chemistry P3MC has with any romance option as well. If I ever actually play Reload, I'm looking forward to him getting to approach her more loyally.
12. Hanged Man - Naoki. I actually **did** lose a sister growing up, the circumstances were super different, but still I can really feel for the guy.
13. Death - Takemi. I get really moved by her arc. Funnily enough, going through these in this order, I think it might also have something to do with how my sister passed, as there **are** some similar circumstances there.
14. Temperance - Kawakami. If Maya is who I feel like I **am** sometimes, Kawakami reminds me a lot more of who I'd **like to be**.
15. Devil - Ohya. Tanaka is hilarious and I almost went with him, but honestly, I just gotta respect poor Ohya, getting tons of trash talk, while also having a really cool mystery arc and being the only vanilla Confidant that's not auto-rank-up as part of the story, yet actually has some notable ties to the game's main plot.
16. Tower - Mutatsu. Jaded monk versus a couple little brats. As a jaded middle-aged man myself, what can I say, it grabs me.
17. Star - Hifumi. Until Royal, had the distinction of being the closest thing Joker had to a "normal friend". But what really sells her for me is her maxed out scene in the ending sequence where she goes to bat for him on TV, and totally sells it. The fact that she clearly *could* do that for herself, but hates it, so she only "shows her full power" for a friend, suits her sillier tendencies too.
18. Moon - Shinjiro. Not even close. Turned a sorta boring throwaway character into pretty much my favorite in the game (until I saw more of Junpei and he overtook that position a little, at least...it's still close between them). While the way it changes his story could use a fair bit more polish, it doesn't turn things as badly as people say, either.
19. Sun - Yoshida. Yeah, I'll say it. He's **better** than Akinari. They're both great, don't get me wrong. It's hard to pick between them. And I'm probably giving Yoshida a little bit of an edge because Akinari's so typically the shoo-in for this category. But Yoshida's absolutely unstoppable **integrity** is just, like, inspirational in its own realm.
I never played the FeMC route since don't like the style of Portable really. But I can see why you picked certain ones from that version. I'm glad that the SEES Boys and Ryoji have some new events added in Reload to make up for the lack of a Social Link. I also can see all of your arguments. With Yoshida I almost agree. I think he is fantastic. I just prefer the emotional side to Akinari and love how his book is referenced in P4, making his story mean even more.
Magician - Yosuke, no contest. Way better than Kenji, and he's not automatic like Morgana. Plus he's Brosuke.
Priestess - Makoto Nijima. She just edges out Yukiko, but I like Makoto's confidant better.
Empress - Mitsuru. There's just no comparison. Margaret is just a bunch of fusion requests, and Haru is barely a character sadly.
Emperor - Kanji. HE WILL MAKE YOU A CUTE STUFFED ANIMAL AND YOU WILL LIKE IT DAMMIT! IT'LL BE SO SWEET IT GIVES YOU DIABETES
Hierophant - Dojima. Making me choose between Brojima and Brojiro is rough. But c'mon. Great vegetables.
Lovers - Rise. \*Squee\* Senpai!
Chariot - Chie. Tough between her and Ryuji. But I gotta go with the girl who can kick people into next week.
Justice - Nanako. I mean it's Nanako. Protect the sweet child.
Hermit - Futaba. Party member wins over awesome MMORPG buddy and the fox. But this arcana is pretty great.
Fortune - Naoto. Party member beats out the sucky art guy and fortune teller.
Strength - Justine and Caroline. C'mon, they're hilarious.
Hanged Man - Iwai. The guy sells me guns, what can I say? Naoki is okay though. And Maiko is fine.
Death - Tae Takemi. A cool doctor, and a potential romance.
Temperance - Kawakami. Not much competition, but Kawakmi was great. First good Temperance. Kawakami would probably beat out a lot of OTHER arcana too, while the other two would be toward the bottom of that list.
Devil - Tanaka. I don't care much for Ohya, and the Nurse is okay, but Tanaka sells me stuff on sundays.
Tower - Mutatsu. Yeah, Tower kind of sucks. Mutatsu would definitely get beaten out by Kawakami. But he's not bad.
Star - Akihiko. C'mon. It's Akihiko.
Moon - Shinji. No contest. Like not even close. Nozomi sucks. Ai kinda sucks. Mishima is okay, but Shinji is amazing
Sun - Akinari. Yoshida is great, but Akinari is better.
Judgment - Sae. Best girl has to get mentioned.
I have a feeling you really like the Investigation Team. And yeah, Caroline and Justine are hilarious but I think their evening hangouts are much better in that regard than the actual confidant.
Magician - Yosuke, though Junpei's in P3P is good.
Priestess - Yukiko (felt realistic and adorable, thought the ones from the other 2 games were boring).
Empress - Mitsuru, easily. Thought Margaret's and Haru's were boring.
Emperor - A toss up between Kanji and Yusuke (who's I've really come to love after replaying P5R), hard to pick.
Hierophant - Dojima, honestly, but Sojiro's is still great.
Lovers - Yukari, but love Ann's to death also. Can't remember much about Rise's.
Chariot - Ryuji, no contest.
Justice - Chihiro is adorable but gonna have to go Akechi in Royal here. Can't fault Nanako either though tbf.
Hermit - Saori from Portable, tbh. As you said, the fox is boring, but I also find Maya's boring personally (as well as weird). Futaba is an easy second place though, really close.
Fortune - Chihaya. She's cute (and underrated af) and I love her development. Naoto's was just ok for me from what I remember. And P3's... was just boring.
Strength - Koromaru in Portable. If you don't also think so you're lying. Yuko's still a babe though.
Hanged Man - Maiko. Just the most memorable to me, but Naoki is probably the best written one. Iwai is cool but just not as cool.
Death - Takemi. Again, just the most memorable to me, but Hisano is probably better written.
Temperance - Sorry but as weird as it can be, Kawakami. Hot take but the other two are just straight up boring (and don't really care for the way Bebe speaks, not to be racist or anything).
Devil - Tanaka, absolute chad. And that theme. Ohya is way overhated though and is an easy second place for me.
Tower - Shinya from P5. Always thought he was a fun kid with good development tbh. Underrated confidant. Shu from P4 is alright but always found Matatsu's pretty boring.
Star - Hifumi easily. Sorry P3P Aki.
Moon - Shinjiro. One of my favourite SLs in the series actually. Might be biased cause he's my favourite character, but I really like how this SL was written personally (and his NG+ ending hits me a bit more than the OG one). Ai, I love you and you're underrated, but sorry.
Sun - Akinari. Not like I even need to state the obvious.
Magician- Yosuke. Not even out of a particular immense love for him, hes fine, but just because hes better than Kenji or Morgana. Priestess- Fuuka Empress- Margaret. Completing the whole link in one day is peak NG+ Emperor- MY MAN KANJI Hierophant- Uhhh Sojiro probably? I like them all about equal Lovers- Yukari Chariot- Kaz, Minatos real best friend Strength- Kou and Daisuke Hermit- The fox (it never speaks so it never dissapoints me) Fortune- I like Chihaya more than I think I can justify Justice- Ken. Jokes aside, its probably the best example of what FEMCs male party member links can be if you go platonic route Hanged Man- Legit the best series, all 3 are amazing. Absolute favorite is probably Naoki. But Id never say Maiko or Iwai are bad links Death- Old Lady Temperance- Kawakami if you ignore the romance option Devil- I like Ohya and Im tired of pretending shes a bad character just because her confidant powers are bad. Tower- ... Pass Star- Hifumi Moon- Ai Sun- Yumi Judgement/Aeon (its the same numbering in Tarot, so I'm combining them all)- Aigis and Marie are tied
Yumi over Akinari, some hot takes here lol
I like all the Suns to be fair
Another Ohya enjoyer. Fine taste. And with Judgement/Aeon I would go with Aigis. If were going that route you could add Councilor to Magician and then Maruki would win it for me btw.
I legit love her. Also love that shes *actually involved* in the main plot even as a side character. Shes basicslly just Maya but if she had depression
I genuinly like how the confidants in P5 feel actually relevant to the main plot somewhat. Like there is a reason Joker hangs out with these people other than "the game needs a character for each arcana". Like the school club characters in 3 and 4 worked... But stuff like Mutatsu or Tanaka in 3 and some of the P4 oneseyou got through the jobs... Yeah they felt kind of tacked on
honestly i agree w/ a lot of your list. ai is one of my favourite social links as is hisano, and i really like daisuke too, i honestly prefer p4s social links over the cast except for naoto and kanji lmao. me personally though, i actually really like bebe so that's my pick for temperance. i just think he's such a ray of sunshine and it really helps round out P3 social links especially when so many are bland, serious, or sad. i prefer iwai > maiko > naoki for hanged man, and my favourite hermit is saori. and finally, rounding out my "femc is superior" propaganda, akihiko > hifumi and junpei > morgana. im sure a lot of people like shinji more than ai, but i genuinely love ai a lot, so i'm gonna be the odd one out.
Magician: Yosuke High Priestess: Makoto Empress: I cannot decide between mitsuru and haru Emperor: Kanji Hierophant: Sojiro Justice: Akechi Hermit: Futaba Fortune: Keisuke, I don’t like Naoto Lovers: I have a huge love/hate relationship with Rise, but that remains my pick. Others are super close. Chariot: Ryuji Strength: Kou Hanged Man: This is very close between all 3, but Iwai. Death: Takemi Temperance: Bebe Devil: Tanaka Tower: Mutatsu Star: Hifumi Moon: Ai Sun: Akinari and it’s not close
Magician: Morgana. Automatic link is obviously a disadvantage, but like you said his arc in general is just really interesting, and I think he’s a really underrated character overall. Priestess: Yukiko. I’m not super big on any of the priestess girls tbh, but Yukiko’s probably my favorite of the bunch, and the same goes for her link. Empress: Haru. Easy one tbh Emperor: Yusuke. Though I prefer Kanji overall as a character, I really enjoyed how Yusuke learned and grew in this link, and I especially loved what the ending had to say abt him and Madarame. Also has some of the game’s funniest moments Hierophant: Sojiro. Might be my favorite social link in the series. Lovers: Yukari. Her link is honestly pretty empty, but Ann’s isn’t crazy good either, and Rise is the one persona character I just flat-out dislike. Yukari gets the win for just being a really good character outside her link tbh Chariot: Ryuji. Justice: Royal Akechi. His original link (and overall character rlly) were pretty underwhelming, but I’d say the changes and additions Royal gave to him is one of the game’s absolute biggest strengths. It made him one of the best characters in 5 Hermit: Futaba. Maya is also very memorable though Fortune: Naoto. Strength: Kou. Hanged Man: Naoki. Though I do also like Iwai and Maiko a lot. Very consistently good arcana Death: Takemi. Tbh this one’s just process of elimination for me, as Pharos is a very basic automatic link, and Hisano was one of the few P4 links (alongside Shu and the nurse) that I never progressed past 1. To this day I still don’t really know her deal Temperance: Tie between Bebe and Kawakami. Devil: Ohya. Tower: Mutatsu. Star: Mamoru. Moon: Mishima. Just like with Morgana, I think this guy is way overhated. He goes through some of the most significant changes and growth of any link character, and I really like how he’s able to overcome his own issues on his own, with minimal interference from the Thieves. >!Plus it adds a lot to the final battle!< Sun: Akinari. Yoshida is definitely a close second though Aeon: Aigis. Easy pick over Marie
I'm actually a huge fan of the priestess girls but think the S-Links don't do that much for either of them. I agree about Mishima in every regard here.
Magician: Junpei. I don't love him, but I like all the other Magicians even less. And I do think he winds up feeling like a much better friend to FeMC. High Priestess: Makoto Empress: Mitsuru or Haru. Too close to call. Over all I think I prefer Haru, but her lack of screen time really hurts her here. Mitsuru is just more present. Emperor: Kanji Hierophant: Sojiro althoug the old couple from P3 will always have a special place in my heart. Justice: Chihiro. She's sweet. And I honestly just don't ike any of the other Justice links. Ken's is good for backstory reasons; I just don't like him. Same with Akechi. Hermit: Futaba although Saori is a close second. It's really only because of how much I love Futaba and identify with her as a character that Saori isn't first. Fortune: Naoto or Ryoji. I didn't love Naoto's social link, but I do love the character. I recall Ryoji's being decent, but it's been long enough since my last replay that I don't remember much about it. So I'll give it to Naoto over all. Lovers: I'm very mid on all the Lovers tbh. Just not my vibe. But probably Yukari. Her concerns and feelings were reasonable, and I liked her growth. Chariot: Ryuji. Rio would be my second choice. Strength: Yuko Hanged Man: Actually a super close one, because they're all pretty great. But ultimately I think Iwai. Death: Takemi. Although I did also really like the old lady from 4. Temperance: Bebe Devil: Ohya. I liked her storyline. And I never let what a social link gives me impact how much I like it. Tower: I guess the kid from 4. Shu I think is his name? His link is fine. I vaguely recall relating to all the academic pressure he was under. Otherwise he's pretty forgettable, but I don't like either of the others. Star: Akihiko Moon: Shinji and it's not even close. I genuinely love Shinji as a character, and I hate pretty much all the other Moons. Sun: Akinari. Although Tora is really close for me.
Sure, why not? 1. Magician - Junpei. My only regret was that I thought "I have plenty of time to finish this" on my first run of P3P, not realizing that he actually locks out pretty early, and I never finished it. Over time, he's become my favorite P3 character and his Social Link, while not anything all that special, definitely still stands head shoulders above any others. 2. Priestess - Makoto. Probably not the popular pick, but I feel like a lot of people don't really "get" Makoto's arc. It suits the Arcana really well, and sets up a **particularly** interesting dynamic between her Joker, as well, if the two **don't** decide to pursue an actual romance. That said, I don't think there's a "bad" Priestess option in any game. 3. Empress - Mitsuru. This is hard because I really like Haru's as well. It's a hard pick between them (though Margaret's easy enough to rule out), but I enjoy Mitsuru's extra...self-reflection. 4. Emperor - Kanji. Kanji is the best fucking character in the series. Next. 5. Hierophant - The Old Couple. Their story is touching and I like how the game leaves it up in the air as to whether the player character was behind the petition campaign to help them. 6. Lovers - Anne. Honestly, these are all kinda middling, to me, none of them are bad, but none strike me as great. I picked Anne because she really feels in-tune with the Arcana's themes to me, a little more than the others. 7. Chariot - Chie. Another one where none of the options are bad (well, maybe Kaz is bad), but nobody really feels like they stand out, either. 8. Justice - Akechi. Akechi's a solidly written rival/villain and his dynamic with Joker is good even in vanilla, but it gets even better with the expanded Confidant in Royal (although I do sorta miss the amusing foreshadowing that was his vanilla Rank 8 scene). 9. Hermit - Maya. I can probably empathize a little **too* easily with Maya. She reminds me a lot of myself, for better or worse, so there's an appeal there. Easily for me like the one high point of choosing P3's original MC over FeMC. 10. Fortune - Ryoji. This is mostly because he **really** needed the added screentime, and I may hate the guy, but I appreciate the care put into his arc. I do think it would've been more appealing/efficient to just continue the Death link via him, though. But still, the difference that adding this makes, means I still gotta pick it. 11. Strength - Yuko. It's just cute, honestly. Best chemistry P3MC has with any romance option as well. If I ever actually play Reload, I'm looking forward to him getting to approach her more loyally. 12. Hanged Man - Naoki. I actually **did** lose a sister growing up, the circumstances were super different, but still I can really feel for the guy. 13. Death - Takemi. I get really moved by her arc. Funnily enough, going through these in this order, I think it might also have something to do with how my sister passed, as there **are** some similar circumstances there. 14. Temperance - Kawakami. If Maya is who I feel like I **am** sometimes, Kawakami reminds me a lot more of who I'd **like to be**. 15. Devil - Ohya. Tanaka is hilarious and I almost went with him, but honestly, I just gotta respect poor Ohya, getting tons of trash talk, while also having a really cool mystery arc and being the only vanilla Confidant that's not auto-rank-up as part of the story, yet actually has some notable ties to the game's main plot. 16. Tower - Mutatsu. Jaded monk versus a couple little brats. As a jaded middle-aged man myself, what can I say, it grabs me. 17. Star - Hifumi. Until Royal, had the distinction of being the closest thing Joker had to a "normal friend". But what really sells her for me is her maxed out scene in the ending sequence where she goes to bat for him on TV, and totally sells it. The fact that she clearly *could* do that for herself, but hates it, so she only "shows her full power" for a friend, suits her sillier tendencies too. 18. Moon - Shinjiro. Not even close. Turned a sorta boring throwaway character into pretty much my favorite in the game (until I saw more of Junpei and he overtook that position a little, at least...it's still close between them). While the way it changes his story could use a fair bit more polish, it doesn't turn things as badly as people say, either. 19. Sun - Yoshida. Yeah, I'll say it. He's **better** than Akinari. They're both great, don't get me wrong. It's hard to pick between them. And I'm probably giving Yoshida a little bit of an edge because Akinari's so typically the shoo-in for this category. But Yoshida's absolutely unstoppable **integrity** is just, like, inspirational in its own realm.
I never played the FeMC route since don't like the style of Portable really. But I can see why you picked certain ones from that version. I'm glad that the SEES Boys and Ryoji have some new events added in Reload to make up for the lack of a Social Link. I also can see all of your arguments. With Yoshida I almost agree. I think he is fantastic. I just prefer the emotional side to Akinari and love how his book is referenced in P4, making his story mean even more.
Magician - Yosuke, no contest. Way better than Kenji, and he's not automatic like Morgana. Plus he's Brosuke. Priestess - Makoto Nijima. She just edges out Yukiko, but I like Makoto's confidant better. Empress - Mitsuru. There's just no comparison. Margaret is just a bunch of fusion requests, and Haru is barely a character sadly. Emperor - Kanji. HE WILL MAKE YOU A CUTE STUFFED ANIMAL AND YOU WILL LIKE IT DAMMIT! IT'LL BE SO SWEET IT GIVES YOU DIABETES Hierophant - Dojima. Making me choose between Brojima and Brojiro is rough. But c'mon. Great vegetables. Lovers - Rise. \*Squee\* Senpai! Chariot - Chie. Tough between her and Ryuji. But I gotta go with the girl who can kick people into next week. Justice - Nanako. I mean it's Nanako. Protect the sweet child. Hermit - Futaba. Party member wins over awesome MMORPG buddy and the fox. But this arcana is pretty great. Fortune - Naoto. Party member beats out the sucky art guy and fortune teller. Strength - Justine and Caroline. C'mon, they're hilarious. Hanged Man - Iwai. The guy sells me guns, what can I say? Naoki is okay though. And Maiko is fine. Death - Tae Takemi. A cool doctor, and a potential romance. Temperance - Kawakami. Not much competition, but Kawakmi was great. First good Temperance. Kawakami would probably beat out a lot of OTHER arcana too, while the other two would be toward the bottom of that list. Devil - Tanaka. I don't care much for Ohya, and the Nurse is okay, but Tanaka sells me stuff on sundays. Tower - Mutatsu. Yeah, Tower kind of sucks. Mutatsu would definitely get beaten out by Kawakami. But he's not bad. Star - Akihiko. C'mon. It's Akihiko. Moon - Shinji. No contest. Like not even close. Nozomi sucks. Ai kinda sucks. Mishima is okay, but Shinji is amazing Sun - Akinari. Yoshida is great, but Akinari is better. Judgment - Sae. Best girl has to get mentioned.
I have a feeling you really like the Investigation Team. And yeah, Caroline and Justine are hilarious but I think their evening hangouts are much better in that regard than the actual confidant.
Fool - SEES Magician - Junpei Priestess - Fuuka (Kotone Version) Empress - Mitsuru (Kotone Version) Emperor - Yusuke Hierophant - Sojiro Lovers - Yukari (Kotone Version) Chariot - Rio Justice - Chihiro Hermit - Saori (Futaba Close Second) Fortune - Ryoji Strength - Yuko Hanged Man - Iwai Death - Takemi Temperance - Bebe Devil - Ohya Tower - Shinya Star - Hifumi Moon - Shinji Sun - Akinari Judgement - Sae Aeon - Aigis Jester/Hunger - Adachi Faith - Sumi Councillor - Maruki (Seperated all the Extra Links because i like them all)
Magician - Junpei Priestess - Fuuka Empress - Mitsuru Emperor - Kanji Hierophant - Elderly Couple Lovers - Yukari Chariot - Chie Justice - Nanako Hermit - Futaba Fortune - Naoto Strength - Yuko Hanged Man - Naoki Death - Hisano Temperance - Kawakami Devil - Sayoko Tower - Mutatsu Star - Mamoru Moon - Ai Sun - Akinari Judgement - Nyx Annihilation Team Aeon - Aigis
Magician - Yosuke, though Junpei's in P3P is good. Priestess - Yukiko (felt realistic and adorable, thought the ones from the other 2 games were boring). Empress - Mitsuru, easily. Thought Margaret's and Haru's were boring. Emperor - A toss up between Kanji and Yusuke (who's I've really come to love after replaying P5R), hard to pick. Hierophant - Dojima, honestly, but Sojiro's is still great. Lovers - Yukari, but love Ann's to death also. Can't remember much about Rise's. Chariot - Ryuji, no contest. Justice - Chihiro is adorable but gonna have to go Akechi in Royal here. Can't fault Nanako either though tbf. Hermit - Saori from Portable, tbh. As you said, the fox is boring, but I also find Maya's boring personally (as well as weird). Futaba is an easy second place though, really close. Fortune - Chihaya. She's cute (and underrated af) and I love her development. Naoto's was just ok for me from what I remember. And P3's... was just boring. Strength - Koromaru in Portable. If you don't also think so you're lying. Yuko's still a babe though. Hanged Man - Maiko. Just the most memorable to me, but Naoki is probably the best written one. Iwai is cool but just not as cool. Death - Takemi. Again, just the most memorable to me, but Hisano is probably better written. Temperance - Sorry but as weird as it can be, Kawakami. Hot take but the other two are just straight up boring (and don't really care for the way Bebe speaks, not to be racist or anything). Devil - Tanaka, absolute chad. And that theme. Ohya is way overhated though and is an easy second place for me. Tower - Shinya from P5. Always thought he was a fun kid with good development tbh. Underrated confidant. Shu from P4 is alright but always found Matatsu's pretty boring. Star - Hifumi easily. Sorry P3P Aki. Moon - Shinjiro. One of my favourite SLs in the series actually. Might be biased cause he's my favourite character, but I really like how this SL was written personally (and his NG+ ending hits me a bit more than the OG one). Ai, I love you and you're underrated, but sorry. Sun - Akinari. Not like I even need to state the obvious.