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Persona 5 Social-Link/Confidant discussion |OT| Laughing Banana is Makoto's husbando

Eylos

Banned
Does maxing Fortune give me a bonus in subsequent playthroughs? I've never actually done NG+ in the previous Personas but I didn't think anything like that carried over. Or is it one of the services she offers? I never used them because I figured focusing on the actual social links was better use of my time.
If you know you Will not get all slinks, try to do things that consume time, so you dont have to do in the New game plus Like:
All stats Max
Read all books
Play all games
Fish the Guardian
 

Weebos

Banned
Does maxing Fortune give me a bonus in subsequent playthroughs? I've never actually done NG+ in the previous Personas but I didn't think anything like that carried over. Or is it one of the services she offers? I never used them because I figured focusing on the actual social links was better use of my time.

For each link you Max you can get an item at the end of the game. Depending on the link you will get to keep certain bonuses. Fortune lets you do the affinity reading as soon as she becomes available in a NG+
 

Acosta

Member
For me mitsuru > Makoto

Mitsuru story is interesting and essential to the main plot

Absolutely.

I like Makoto because she has that aura but she is kinda realistic while Mitsuru is impossibly perfect as a human being. It didn' t help the S.Link of Makoto sucked in some parts (I still romanced her, best waifu).

In other news, I'm bummed because I have really dropped the ball with the confidents S.Link gettint just a bunch of them. I think i have really sucked planning there and now I'm trying to see if I want to go back and do it right or complete the game and start again... (but I don't feeling like doing 100+ plus again).
 

Zafir

Member
Does maxing Fortune give me a bonus in subsequent playthroughs? I've never actually done NG+ in the previous Personas but I didn't think anything like that carried over. Or is it one of the services she offers? I never used them because I figured focusing on the actual social links was better use of my time.
Basically it allows you to use all of the fortune telling options right from when you start her social link. One of those options gives you a bonus to a chosen social link for 5000yen. It basically means you don't have to hang out with people between social link levels up, you can just keep paying her and only talk to people when you're actually going to rank up.

It's new to Persona 5 because all the social links in Persona 5 actually give you skills and gameplay benefits. Unlike previous Personas where only the main cast got skills from a social link, and they were battle related bonuses.

Maxing the social link will give you one or more of these bonuses from when you unlock their link.
 

Zareka

Member
If you know you Will not get all slinks, try to do things that consume time, so you dont have to do in the New game plus Like:
All stats Max
Read all books
Play all games
Fish the Guardian
Yeah I realise that now. I tend to do my first playthroughs without much thought towards optimisation. At least I got 3/5 stats maxed!
For each link you Max you can get an item at the end of the game. Depending on the link you will get to keep certain bonuses. Fortune lets you do the affinity reading as soon as she becomes available in a NG+
Woah, I had no idea. That's super helpful. Is there a list of what the other items do?
 

Astral

Member
I'm in the 4th Palace and still haven't even started Hifumi or the fortune teller. Or Iwai actually. Kawakami is also only like rank 2. Am I going at a bad pace?
 

Weebos

Banned
I'm in the 4th Palace and still haven't even started Hifumi or the fortune teller. Or Iwai actually. Kawakami is also only like rank 2. Am I going at a bad pace?

If you want to max all three you should focus on Kawakami when you can, her confidant will help with Chihaya and Hifume.
 

aly

Member
Man I like Makoto but she is so boring. I wish Iwai could've been cool guy with motorcycle in my party. He is second best dad after Sojiro.
 
If you want to max all three you should focus on Kawakami when you can, her confidant will help with Chihaya and Hifume.
Kawakami and Chihaya are both important for saving time

Man I like Makoto but she is so boring. I wish Iwai could've been cool guy with motorcycle in my party. He is second best dad after Sojiro.
What I was really hoping for was (MAJOR SPOILERS)
Sae to join in after Goro's betrayal, with a copy of his moveset. Unfortunately japan "TOO OLD" applied
 

Astral

Member
If you want to max all three you should focus on Kawakami when you can, her confidant will help with Chihaya and Hifume.

Oh interesting. I'll get to it as soon as I'm done with this his dungeon. She was gonna be my main focus after Tae. At first I dedicated all of my time to her and raising my Charm. I might be a little too stupid for Hifumi right now...
 

Fandangox

Member
What I was really hoping for was (MAJOR SPOILERS)
Sae to join in after Goro's betrayal, with a copy of his moveset. Unfortunately japan "TOO OLD" applied

Which is funny because she is supposed to be 24 apparently? I thought she was on her very late 20's/very early 30's.

Anyway Personal Eternal Punishment will always be there I guess, someone asked which persona would be good for a remake, and P2 duology remake on the new Persona engine would be great, but I don't think its something that we would ever see happening.
 

Thud

Member
Does maxing Fortune give me a bonus in subsequent playthroughs? I've never actually done NG+ in the previous Personas but I didn't think anything like that carried over. Or is it one of the services she offers? I never used them because I figured focusing on the actual social links was better use of my time.

When you establish a confidant again some abilities are immediately unlocked. Only applies to confidants that you maxed.
 

Pejo

Member
Well, I finally got my first dating status with a waifu last night, it was Ann.

She still seems really awkward and uninterested, and the segway into the relationship was really out of place, but whatever. I find it weird that up to the level I'm at with most of the girls, the only one that even acts like a traditional waifu character is Makoto. Did they really expect the player to not max the bond with a bunch of girls?

Meanwhile I just unlocked Baton Pass with Yusuke. Did I miss a bunch of events with him, or does he not even ask to hang out until later in the game?
 

Muzicfreq

Banned
Can you take Kawakami anywhere else or her events tied to only the special events?

Kinda silly how it's my task to find somewhere to go but have no choices
 

Zafir

Member
Well, I finally got my first dating status with a waifu last night, it was Ann.

She still seems really awkward and uninterested, and the segway into the relationship was really out of place, but whatever. I find it weird that up to the level I'm at with most of the girls, the only one that even acts like a traditional waifu character is Makoto. Did they really expect the player to not max the bond with a bunch of girls?

Meanwhile I just unlocked Baton Pass with Yusuke. Did I miss a bunch of events with him, or does he not even ask to hang out until later in the game?

His social link starts quite a bit after you get him I think. I remember using both him and Makoto in dungeon 3 on my first playthrough, with neither of them having Baton Pass.
 
So the options are (in the order they appear)

Sadayo Kawakami — "Becky is a false identity, Kawakami is the true self."
I never really had the maid or teacher fetish so I can't speak for anyone who found her appeal there. Saying that though, i found her bitterness hilarious in the beginning
(speak to her after asking her to do your laundry, etc)
, and her story to be the most moving, with her becoming my favourite.

Kawakami & MC's relationship is basically Atlus playing with the idea of "tachiba" (social position). The relationship is less than acceptable due to her being "above" you socially as a teacher, and that power dynamic is reversed with you being above her as a maid and by knowing her secret. The idea of a social position that is used to exploit someone is then further explored with the Takases (which I won't spoil for those that haven't completed the s.link).

Having saved her from exploitation, your relationship moves from a deal born of co-dependence, to one of care & concern. And should you choose her romance option, one of consent. This is in contrast to Kamoshida who utilised his position (and its accompanying power dynamic), to exploit Shiho, others, and attempt to exploit Ann.

You actually get several scenes where she laments the situation and the effect her position over you, has on your potential relationship,
I'm still pissed the game didn't let me pick her for my Hawaii date even though I was high enough in rank
. The consideration she shows for MC and how things end, is actually quite a reasonable resolution IMO — and in my NG+ she will probably be my pick. In my head canon 5-10 years from now, messy hair MC and messy hair Kawakami have a bunch of messy haired kids​

Ann Takamaki — “My story stuff is way too front-loaded, so my more interesting stuff is actually outside of my s.link”.
Ostracised in-game as a result of her striking appearance. Ostracised irl for being so ‘plain’. I'm sure the gap and her being "just an ordinary girl underneath all of it" was intentional though. While I liked her, I felt that the impact from her s.link was harmed by having the serious stuff (Kamoshida/Shiho etc) all having already come before it.​

Tae Takemi — “Without my heels, Futaba is probably taller than me.”
Participants wanted for experimental medical tests. Known side effects of clinical trials include:
Common (may affect up to 1 in 100).
These unfortunate symptoms are expected but will pass in time.
- increased libido.
- Increased desire to use the word "bae".
Rare (up to 1 in 100,000).
If you are experiencing any of these, please cease trials immediately.
- increased desire to be referred to as a ginea pig irl.
- bonermancy Pavlovian response to spider webs.​

Makoto — Bioware Atlus really wants you to like Liara/Jack Makoto whether you want to or not...
...And it seems to have worked, because most of the internet has decided she can do no wrong.
- lets all ignore that she tried to blackmail the Phantoms - "best girl amirite guyz"
- ...and that after Ann called her out, she nearly got us (and her sister) exploited by mafia - "best girl amirite guyz"
- ...and that even though Joker is supposed to be the leader, she's pretty much taken over the group - "best girl amirite guyz"
and I'm being petty now, but that weird stance with her arms by her side but one foot slightly lifted behind the other irritates me

Hifumi Togo — "Chuunibyou Nadeshiko".
I look forward to her expanded role in P5 Crimson/Ruby in 2019​

Ichiko Ohya — "Most people are only doing my s.link so they can get rank 5 charm for Makoto"

Futaba Sakura — "2chan.net ふたば☆ちゃんねる appeal psuedo-imouto"
Tbh, i only picked her so i can watch her scenes, but otherwise normally she would be too little sister for me and I happen to be quite fond of our little dysfunctional 3 person family and wouldnt want to mess with that. Also what Futaba needs is support to get into having regular relationships imo. going into a romantic relationship just seems like a recipe for dependency that wouldn't be beneficial for her long term.​

Chiyaha Mifune — "No one wants to waifu me because it costs 100k and a mementos mission to even start my s.link..."
Also, her fears about not being able to overcome her fate are doubly sad considering the death of her Japanese VA. This was probably one of her last roles before she died iirc. :( :( :(

Haru Okamura — "I'm so disarmingly adorable, that the only way to give the other girls a fair chance is to delay my appearance until super late into the game".

In true Persona tradition, I picked all of them and
 

Felspawn

Member
Going into the game I was completely smittened with Ann. She reminded me too much of Catherine to be able to say no to. I loved the look, she's a genuinely kind person that strikes me as being a more fun and exciting waifu then super serious Makoto. They were basically the only two girls that interested me. Sorry just not into the little sister thing.

Having said all that I did start to think maybe Makoto would be a better idea, Ann and Ryuji have pretty great chemistry and Makoto and The MC do make a good couple; it would be a great 4 some 😉.

In the end watching the Makoto scenes just turned me off to her and I decided to go full Ann. Pretty happy with the choice.

Maybe Makoto will be the choice in the NG+ playthrough
 

Ultimadrago

Member
Going into the game I was completely smittened with Ann. She reminded me too much of Catherine to be able to say no to. I loved the look, she's a genuinely kind person that strikes me as being a more fun and exciting waifu then super serious Makoto. They were basically the only two girls that interested me. Sorry just not into the little sister thing.

Having said all that I did start to think maybe Makoto would be a better idea, Ann and Ryuji have pretty great chemistry and Makoto and The MC do make a good couple; it would be a great 4 some 😉.

In the end watching the Makoto scenes just turned me off to her and I decided to go full Ann. Pretty happy with the choice.

But what about Morgana's feelings?
 

Astral

Member
I find Ann to be pretty boring, both in the story so far and her S. Link. I'm on rank 6 and I like her goofiness but I'm just not smitten. Makoto's "Isn't it supposed to be though" after Yusuke's hilarious concern over Ann's ass crack was more endearing than anything Ann has said or done.
 

KraytarJ

Member
I legit hated Makoto before she joined you. Sure the meek stalking was kind of cute but she was a puppet working for terrible people and she harassed your group by saying terrible shit to Ann. I honestly just wanted to tell her to fuck off whenever I could talk to her. It ended up okay tho, best girl.

As for Futaba, I initially saw the little sister thing but as I progressed her link I began to see parts of myself in her and how devastating rejection in that sort of situation can be for someone like her. Turning her down is probably the hardest persona waifu call I've ever had to make.
There's always NG+
 
I legit hated Makoto before she joined you. Sure the meek stalking was kind of cute but she was a puppet working for terrible people and she harassed your group by saying terrible shit to Ann. I honestly just wanted to tell her to fuck off whenever I could talk to her. It ended up okay tho, best girl.

As for Futaba, I initially saw the little sister thing but as I progressed her link I began to see parts of myself in her and how devastating rejection in that sort of situation can be for someone like her. Turning her down is probably the hardest persona waifu call I've ever had to make.
There's always NG+
have you turned down Haru yet...?
 
Which is funny because she is supposed to be 24 apparently? I thought she was on her very late 20's/very early 30's.

Anyway Personal Eternal Punishment will always be there I guess, someone asked which persona would be good for a remake, and P2 duology remake on the new Persona engine would be great, but I don't think its something that we would ever see happening.

I would be so down with a P2 remake, especially since Atlus has never once been able to get the same version of both games released at the same time in English. Having Eternal Punishment forever relegated to PS1 Classic status sucks. But yeah, I worry that it'll be too similar to Persona 5 in some ways to come out anytime soon, if ever. Plus P2: Batsu PSP apparently sold like garbage in Japan, so.

Re: Becky. I think everyone calls her that because her real identity is a SPOILER.
 

Felspawn

Member
Makoto isnt bad, it's true she did have some great lines and scenes in the game but to me at the end of the day it's all about her career and goals, the MC is just a step in that direction. An important study guide to be sure, who helped her step back and re-evaluate her life but still just a step. I see her in 10 years time single and career driven wondering if it was all worth her becoming a Christmas cake
 

_Ryo_

Member
What is everyones most pleasantly surprised confidant?

Mine are Sojiro, Futaba, Tae, Chihaya and Yoshida. Really thought Sojiro was gonna be trash.
 

Zafir

Member
Why are some people mad that Makoto blackmails you? It was totally hot.
I mean, I think she was pushed into a corner, so I don't think the blackmailing part bothers me so much.

I can understand people being annoyed about how she just
charges off to find/meet Kaneshiro without really thinking of the consequences though.
That's really freaking dumb. Facepalm levels of dumb. :p

The only reason I kind of look past it is because I like the rest of her character, and she does acknowledge she's impulsive later on in her social link.
 

Felspawn

Member
What is everyones most pleasantly surprised confidant?

Mine are Sojiro, Futaba, Tae, Chihaya and Yoshida. Really thought Sojiro was gonna be trash.

I liked Sojiro and Futaba but I didn't find them surprising per say. I didn't have much expectations for Togo and liked her more then I expected
 
What is everyones most pleasantly surprised confidant?

Mine are Sojiro, Futaba, Tae, Chihaya and Yoshida. Really thought Sojiro was gonna be trash.

Probably Chihaya. Definitely got off on the wrong foot what with the 100k scam, but she ended up surprisingly sweet in the later events. I felt pretty bad turning her down in the end.
 

Ultimadrago

Member
What is everyones most pleasantly surprised confidant?

Mine are Sojiro, Futaba, Tae, Chihaya and Yoshida. Really thought Sojiro was gonna be trash.

Sojiro is great, but after how much of an ass he is at the start, I knew the game would make an effort to have him come around.

I'd say Yoshida was my biggest surprise. I was expecting to be disappointed or bored by it as with some of the past adult SLs from previous games, but his story is one I found easy to dissect and get behind. He's a man who lost sight of "his justice" and has put forth a tireless effort to make amends for himself and the people in recovering it. It was a very entertaining relationship that even made the random NPCs of the link not feel as stiff compared to a lot of other Confidant stories.
 

Astral

Member
I mean, I think she was pushed into a corner, so I don't think the blackmailing part bothers me so much.

I can understand people being annoyed about how she just
charges off to find/meet Kaneshiro without really thinking of the consequences though.
That's really freaking dumb. Facepalm levels of dumb. :p

The only reason I kind of look past it is because I like the rest of her character, and she does acknowledge she's impulsive later on in her social link.

Yeah that was pretty dumb, but I just took that as being one of her character flaws. It's probably the first they really show. She came off a bit too perfect before that.
 
I mean, I think she was pushed into a corner, so I don't think the blackmailing part bothers me so much.

I can understand people being annoyed about how she just
charges off to find/meet Kaneshiro without really thinking of the consequences though.
That's really freaking dumb. Facepalm levels of dumb. :p

The only reason I kind of look past it is because I like the rest of her character, and she does acknowledge she's impulsive later on in her social link.

Yusuke even comments on that impulsiveness in the main story at one point. It does feel like the impression you're supposed to get from Makoto is someone who can be reckless/fierce in her pursuit of justice, but someone who relied on other people's ideas of "justice" for so long that she never had to think about it for herself until the Phantom Thieves. Note that
Kaneshiro is really the first time in the game we see Makoto find an injustice on her own, instead of being told about it by the principal, which helps explain why she's a lot more aggressive about it.
That realization also helps make her confidant story more likeable to me. It's a basis for the character that isn't just "I'm an honors student but I WANT TO LIVE LIKE COMMON PEOPLE."

What is everyones most pleasantly surprised confidant?

Mine are Sojiro, Futaba, Tae, Chihaya and Yoshida. Really thought Sojiro was gonna be trash.

Yoshida for me for sure. It was great seeing him
in the 12/24 cheering section
. I'd vote for him. Sojiro and Futaba as well just because
I didn't know they had the father-daughter relationship
but otherwise that went about the way I thought it'd go.
 

Zafir

Member
What is everyones most pleasantly surprised confidant?

Mine are Sojiro, Futaba, Tae, Chihaya and Yoshida. Really thought Sojiro was gonna be trash.
Probably Sojiro. He's such an ass at the start, but by the end it's really endearing the family relationship between Sojiro, Futaba and the MC.

I'm still short of seeing the gamer kid, Futaba, and Haru's all the way through though.
Yusuke even comments on that impulsiveness in the main story at one point. It does feel like the impression you're supposed to get from Makoto is someone who can be reckless/fierce in her pursuit of justice, but someone who relied on other people's ideas of "justice" for so long that she never had to think about it for herself until the Phantom Thieves. Note that
Kaneshiro is really the first time in the game we see Makoto find an injustice on her own, instead of being told about it by the principal, which helps explain why she's a lot more aggressive about it.
That realization also helps make her confidant story more likeable to me. It's a basis for the character that isn't just "I'm an honors student but I WANT TO LIVE LIKE COMMON PEOPLE."

Yeah, that's true. It's also not hard to see why she flipped after what Sae says either. Sae can be pretty ice cold at times with what she says.
 

NotLiquid

Member
What is everyones most pleasantly surprised confidant?

Mine are Sojiro, Futaba, Tae, Chihaya and Yoshida. Really thought Sojiro was gonna be trash.

Already said this but Hifumi. She's the character I expected to be the most throwaway but after the first couple of ranks it's clear she's a lot more endearing than her distant exterior would have you believe.

Ryuji's Social Link was also surprisingly enjoyable since the Yusuke Social Link in P4 was kinda tedious. I think Ryuji is the best one out of the "protag's best friend/bro" that any of these games had so far. He has a bit of Kanji's selflessness and I like it. Makoto's Social Link is okay too but I wonder whether or not I'm conflating how much I enjoyed her arc in the main story with her actual Social Link.

Any other surprises has more to do with characters I expected to be good exceeding some of my expectations, such as Sojiro and Futaba.
 

Kimaka

Member
I mean, I think she was pushed into a corner, so I don't think the blackmailing part bothers me so much.

I can understand people being annoyed about how she just
charges off to find/meet Kaneshiro without really thinking of the consequences though.
That's really freaking dumb. Facepalm levels of dumb. :p

The only reason I kind of look past it is because I like the rest of her character, and she does acknowledge she's impulsive later on in her social link.

Yeah, it is obvious that she wants in so I don't fault her for the blackmailing. Besides the Phantom Thieves whole thing is about helping others so her goal and theirs wasn't really conflicting.

The only thing that bothers me about Makoto is that the party members are treating her like she is some brilliant badass when she hasn't done anything special. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that they were the Phantom Thieves since their hideouts were in public areas and Ryuji was being loud as fuck about it. Yusuke and the MC have about the same level of intelligence as her and everyone embraced their Persona pretty quickly.
 

Chaos17

Member
What is everyones most pleasantly surprised confidant?

Mine are Sojiro, Futaba, Tae, Chihaya and Yoshida. Really thought Sojiro was gonna be trash.

Sojiro and Futaba there're a must do. So rare to see to S-link interact directly with each other.
Makoto turned me off with her "friend". I would've prefered Sae with her "grey justice" instead.
 
Yeah, it is obvious that she wants in so I don't fault her for the blackmailing. Besides the Phantom Thieves whole thing is about helping others so her goal and theirs wasn't really conflicting.

The only thing that bothers me about Makoto is that the party members are treating her like she is some brilliant badass when she hasn't done anything special. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that they were the Phantom Thieves since their hideouts were in public areas and Ryuji was being loud as fuck about it. Yusuke and the MC have about the same level of intelligence as her and everyone embraced their Persona pretty quickly.

I mean, she does ace all her tests. She's also the reason why you can see a shadow's skills and drops (or at least she is until
Futaba takes over analysis duties
but it's part of her confidant abilities). And apparently (Palace 6 spoilers)
she's one of the masterminds behind the "fake yo death" plan, which is pretty convoluted and has a lot of moving parts
.

I do enjoy, though, how every person who joins the party after Yusuke has a conversation that goes something like this:

New person: glad to be here so how's this stuff work
Ryuji or Ann: so it's really complicated at first, basically everyone has a palace inside them, and it's weird, it's like th--
New person: --their distorted sense of reality given form in the Metaverse, so if we steal the treasure and destroy the palace they'll return to normal, got it
Ryuji or Ann: *jaw drops*
 
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