Persona 5 isn't just about dungeon crawling or summoning demonic entities to fight for your soul. Honestly, it’s mostly about hanging out with people. If you’ve spent any time in Tokyo’s Shibuya district as Joker, you know the calendar is your biggest enemy. Time is a finite resource. You’ve got exams, burgers to eat at Big Bang Burger, and a talking cat telling you to go to sleep. But the real meat of the game—the stuff that actually makes you powerful—is the confidant system.
Building relationships is how you survive.
If you ignore your friends, you’re basically playing the game on hard mode without any of the perks. This confidant guide Persona 5 players should keep handy is designed to help you navigate those messy social waters without wasting precious afternoons on "Rank Up" screens that don't actually move the needle. You need to know who to talk to, when to talk to them, and why some of these people are way more important than others.
Why Your Social Life Is a Weapon
In the world of Persona 5 and its expanded version, Persona 5 Royal, confidants represent the Arcana. When you spend time with Ryuji (The Chariot) or Ann (The Lovers), you aren't just getting coffee or watching movies. You’re gaining "Social Link" points that translate directly into Fusion bonuses.
Think about it this way. You go to the Velvet Room to fuse a high-level Persona. If your rank with that specific Arcana is low, the Persona stays at its base level. If you’ve maxed out that relationship? It gains several levels instantly, unlocking skills you wouldn't normally see for another ten hours of gameplay.
But it goes deeper than just XP. Every confidant offers "Abilities." Some of these are quality-of-life improvements, like Sojiro Sakura letting you brew coffee that restores SP. Others are game-changers. Hifumi Togo, the shogi player at the church, eventually lets you swap party members during a battle. That is the difference between a Total Party Kill and a victory against a boss that just swapped elements on you.
The Heavy Hitters You Can't Ignore
Not all confidants are created equal. While it's tempting to just hang out with whoever you think is coolest, some provide utility that breaks the game’s economy or action economy.
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Take Sadayo Kawakami (The Temperance). She’s your teacher. At first, the idea of paying a maid to do your laundry or make tools seems like a joke. It isn't. Her Rank 10 ability, Special Massage, lets you go out at night even after you’ve spent the afternoon in a Palace or Mementos. In a game where "days" are the primary currency, Kawakami literally gives you more time. She is arguably the most important confidant for anyone trying to see everything in one playthrough.
Then there’s Toranosuke Yoshida (The Sun). You’ll find him giving speeches outside the Shibuya station. He's easy to miss because he’s only available on certain nights, and his storyline is about political redemption. However, his rank-ups allow you to demand more money from shadows during negotiations or even skip the negotiation entirely to recruit powerful demons. If you're short on cash—and you will be if you're buying gear for everyone—Yoshida is your best friend.
Then we have the Fortune confidant, Chihaya Mifune. She’s in Shinjuku. She charges a hefty fee just to start her link, but her luck readings can trigger a boost in your social stat gains or, more importantly, increase your affinity with other confidants without spending time with them. It’s a meta-strategy. You spend money to save time.
Navigating the Conversation Minefield
You can’t just show up and expect people to like you. Well, you can, but it’ll take twice as long. To move through the ranks efficiently, you need to have a Persona of the matching Arcana in your inventory.
If you’re hanging out with Takemi (The Death Arcana), make sure you have a Mokoi or a Matador tucked away in your list. It gives you a "plus one" to almost every correct dialogue choice. It sounds small. It’s huge. It saves you from having to do "empty" hangouts where nothing happens because you didn't have enough points to rank up.
Dealing with the "Best" Choices
People often look for a "correct" answer guide. Honestly? Most of the time, just being supportive works. But characters like Sae Niijima (The Judgement) or Igor (The Fool) rank up automatically as the story progresses. You don't need to worry about them. Focus your energy on the "manual" links.
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For the manual ones, pay attention to their personalities. Ryuji likes it when you're blunt and ready for action. Makoto Niijima (The Priestess) respects intelligence and a sense of justice. If you tell Yusuke Kitagawa (The Emperor) that his art is weird, you’re going to have a bad time. He’s an eccentric; lean into it.
One tricky detail: Persona 5 Royal added new requirements. If you want to unlock the "Third Semester" (the extra 20+ hours of content), you must reach Rank 9 with Takuto Maruki (The Councillor) by mid-November. If you miss that deadline, the game just ends where the original PS3 version ended. You also really want to get Goro Akechi to Rank 8 and Kasumi Yoshizawa to Rank 5. These aren't just suggestions; they are hard gates for the best ending.
Managing Your Social Stats
You can’t even talk to some people if you aren't "cool" enough or "kind" enough. This is the catch-22 of the confidant guide Persona 5 meta.
- Knowledge: Study at the diner during rainy days. The rain gives you an extra boost, and the diner lets you increase another stat simultaneously depending on what you order.
- Guts: Take the Big Bang Burger challenge. It’s a rite of passage. Also, hanging out with Tae Takemi usually requires a high Guts stat because her "clinical trials" are terrifying.
- Proficiency: Make infiltration tools in your room. It’s free and helps you in palaces.
- Kindness: Feed your plant. Seriously. Buy the expensive plant food from Shinjuku or Shibuya and use it every few weeks. It doesn't take up a time slot.
- Charm: Go to the bathhouse, especially on Mondays and Thursdays.
If you don't keep these stats moving, you'll hit a wall. You'll try to talk to Sojiro and he’ll basically tell you that you aren't helpful enough to be worth his time. It hurts, but it’s a wake-up call.
The Mementos Connection
Several confidants will hit a "roadblock" around Rank 7 or 8. They’ll tell you about a person bothering them—a crooked boss, a manipulative ex, a greedy parent. This triggers a "Request" in Mementos.
You cannot progress their story until you go into the subway of the soul and change that person's heart. Pro tip: don't go to Mementos for just one request. Wait until you have three or four lined up. This maximizes your day-to-night cycle. Efficiency is the name of the game. If you’re going into a dungeon, make it count.
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The Romance Trap
A lot of players want to know about the "harem route." You can romance multiple characters. You can date almost every female confidant in the game.
Should you? Probably not, unless you enjoy a very awkward and painful cutscene on Valentine’s Day where they all find out and beat the life out of you. From a gameplay perspective, romancing doesn't provide a mechanical advantage over a Max Rank platonic relationship. It’s purely for flavor and some unique dialogue. If you’re playing for the first time, maybe just pick one and stick to it. Or don't. I'm not your dad.
Just know that once you commit to a romance at Rank 9, there is no going back. You're locked in.
Practical Steps for Your Playthrough
To make the most of your time, you should follow a loose priority list. It helps keep the stress of the ticking clock at bay.
- Priority 1: The Gatekeepers. Focus on Maruki, Akechi, and Kasumi if you're playing Royal. If you miss them, you miss the end of the game.
- Priority 2: The Time Savers. Get Kawakami (Temperance) and Chihaya (Fortune) up as fast as possible. They give you more "turns" in the long run.
- Priority 3: Party Members. Your active combat team (Ryuji, Morgana, Ann, etc.) should be leveled up so they can take hits for you, cure status ailments, and evolve their Personas.
- Priority 4: The Specialists. People like Shinya Oda (The Tower) or Hifumi Togo. They provide niche combat buffs that are great but not always "essential" for every playstyle.
Don't sweat the small stuff too much. On a first playthrough, it is incredibly difficult to max every single confidant without a day-by-day guide. And honestly? Following a day-by-day guide takes the magic out of the game. It turns a vibrant RPG into a spreadsheet.
Instead, focus on the characters you actually like. The game is designed to be played multiple times (New Game Plus is where the real fun starts anyway), and your social stats carry over to the second run. This means in your second playthrough, you won't have to spend any time studying or eating burgers, leaving all those slots open to finish the confidants you missed.
Keep a matching Persona in your pocket, buy the plant food, and don't let Morgana tell you when to sleep if you’ve got a massage from a teacher waiting for you. That’s the real secret to mastering Persona 5.
Next Steps for Players:
Check your current calendar and identify which confidants are closest to a Rank Up. Prioritize finishing those who are stuck behind a Mementos request before the next major Palace deadline. If you haven't started the Sun or Temperance links yet, head to the Station Square or talk to Ryuji about the "special service" number immediately to start those time-sensitive benefits.