Persona 5 Royal is one of the best JRPGs of the generation, mixing its dungeon crawling and social sim elements into a hugely successful title. The Persona series has become one of the genre’s leading names when it comes to relationship and romance options, and Persona 5 Royal has an abundance of different romantic partners.
With lots of potential suitors, there are inevitably a lot of decisions to make. We’ve got it all covered here, with answers to the most common questions and some important tips to help you along.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Persona 5 Royal romance options, with a romance guide to max them all.
- RELATED: Persona 5 Royal Review
Who are the Persona 5 Royal romance options?
There are a total of ten different romance options in Persona 5 Royal. These are a mixture of playable characters and NPCs who can be found around different parts of Tokyo.
In rough chronological order of the first available unlock date, the ten romantic partners are:
- Ann Takamaki (Lovers Arcana)
- Tae Takemi (Death Arcana)
- Sadayo Kawakami (Temperance Arcana)
- Kasumi Yoshizawa (Faith Arcana)
- Chihaya Mifune (Fortune Arcana)
- Ichiko Ohya (Devil Arcana)
- Makoto Nijima (Priestess Arcana)
- Hifumi Togo (Star Arcana)
- Futaba Sakura (Hermit Arcana)
- Haru Okumura (Empress Arcana)
Nearly every female confidant can be romanced, including the adults. The only exceptions are Caroline and Justine of the Strength Arcana, and Sae Nijima of the Judgement Arcana.
After a confidant has been unlocked, you can spend time with them to gradually deepen your bond and open up the possibility of romance.
How do you romance a confidant?
Pursuing a romantic relationship with these confidants is simple enough. You must spend time with them and build up your confidant levels by choosing the correct dialogue options, providing gifts and sometimes completing other tasks like increasing personality stats or clearing Mementos missions.
Each of these confidants will be platonic for the majority of their arc. Towards the end, Joker is presented a choice of whether to take the relationship to the next level. This is basically impossible to miss, and the game will clearly prompt you that the confidant in question is one of your romance options.
Can you romance more than one person at a time?
Yes. You can romance every single one of these confidants simultaneously. As for the consequences… well, other than the sheer guilt of cheating on such loyal and devoted ladies, there aren’t many at all. There is an amusing scene with no lasting effects, and you’ll still be able to select your favourite for Christmas Day and Valentine’s Day dates.
If your conscience gets the better of you, then you can still maximise everyone’s confidant arc and receive their full confidant perks without romancing them.
Can you break up with a romantic partner?
No. Strangely, if you romance a character early in the game and then completely ignore them for months on end, they will still be classed as a girlfriend for the entire game. If anything, Persona 5 Royal encourages you to do this as there is no benefit in hanging out with a maxed confidant once you’ve unlocked all of their perks. Therefore romancing multiple confidants will always involve cheating on them.
Is there any gay romance?
No. You cannot romance any of the male characters. You can increase these bonds to maximum but these are always platonic friendships.
How to romance everyone in Persona 5 Royal
The romance events are triggered by reaching confidant rank 9 and making an obvious dialogue choice of whether to remain friends or enter a romantic relationship.
It is worth noting that some romantic choices will not trigger at rank 9 unless you have given some specific answers previously. It is quite rare for this to happen as it’s usually obvious which answers to avoid. In my experience, the easiest one to get wrong is Takemi so this is covered below.
Otherwise, always equip a persona of the corresponding Arcana before you hang out. Since Joker’s personas are limited, just fuse the cheapest possible persona relating to the confidant Arcana you are about to pursue. Doing this will boost the impact of dialogue options, giving extra music notes towards the next level and therefore reducing the number of time slots required.
Sometimes it’s inevitable you’ll have to hang out without progressing a rank. At these times, it’s always good to have gifts to hand. Providing the right gifts will give a nice boost of music-notes towards the next level, so keep a good stock of these at all times.
For a more specific look at all Persona 5 Royal romance options, here is some information to help you max them all.
Ann Takamaki (Lovers Arcana)
Date unlocked: 4/15
Where to find: Standing in the Underground Mall most days
Ann is the first romanceable confidant to unlock, making her one of the easiest to maximise. Her abilities generally enhance her abilities in battle, like allowing her to heal status ailments, survive fatal damage or disarm enemies with a “Sexy Technique”. On the ninth bond level, you’ll be given a dialogue choice that makes Ann your romantic partner, and once maximised her persona will evolve into a more powerful version.
You’ll require Level 2 Kindness to get started with Ann, but otherwise it should be plain sailing towards a maximum rank and a potential lover.
Tae Takemi (Death Arcana)
Date unlocked: 4/18
Where to find: In the doctor’s office in Yongen-Jaya
Takemi is a great confidant to boost. As a reward for participating in some unethical medical experiments, she will allow Joker to purchase useful items from her doctor’s office. At rank 5, some SP recovery accessories will become available. These aren’t cheap, particularly early in the game, but can make all the difference to your palace and Mementos excursions. These should be unlocked as soon as possible, and you should try and purchase at least two of them.
Takemi’s ‘wrong answers’ to lock you out of the romance route are easily done. If you pick some wrong choices, your romantic proposal at confidant level 9 will be politely rejected.
At rank 8, in response to “…Sorry. Just hang in there, OK?” select “It’s for Miwa-chan.” Do NOT select “It’s for you.” Even if you get this wrong, you might be fine if you got everything else right in the previous events, but this is an easy place to slip up and provided you are correct here you should be able to romance Takemi.
Takemi also has a few extra requirements – you’ll need level 2 Guts for rank 2, level 4 Charm at rank 7, and you must also complete the “Bad Medicine” Mementos mission.
Sadayo Kawakami (Temperance Arcana)
Date unlocked: 5/24
Where to find: Call her from the phone at Leblanc in the evening
There’s a story event that will trigger Kawakami’s availability, but you’ll need level 3 guts in order to make that first phone call. Since you also need some guts for Takemi, this is probably the most important stat to improve in the opening months.
Kawakami’s confidant is all about saving time. Since time is money in Persona 5 Royal, this makes her a crucial confidant to max. Her abilities will allow some free slots during school time to read or make tools, and as your ranks progress she can perform tasks for you, such as completing the laundry or making tools, coffee or curry.
At rank 10, she will even give you a massage that allows Joker to head outside at night after a trip to the Metaverse. Kawakami is easy enough to romance, as long as you’ve got the money. She’ll cost 5,000 yen per visit until the latter events. There are no other personality stat requirements throughout her arc, but rank 9 will require completion of the “A Teacher Maid to Suffer” Mementos request.
Kasumi Yoshizawa (Faith Arcana)
Date unlocked: 5/30
Where to find: Standing near the Velvet Rom entrance in Kichijoji
At first, Kasumi will only be able to reach level 5. This is pretty unusual, but all will become clear as the story is progressed. As a new member of the Phantom Thieves, Kasumi’s confidant perks mainly relate to her battle performance, but at rank 4 she will handily allow Joker to ambush shadows from a distance.
To maximise Kasumi’s confidant and romance her, you must unlock the new third semester which is exclusive to Persona 5 Royal. Reach rank 9 of Maruki’s (Councillor) confidant by 11/17, and reach level 5 with Kasumi’s (Faith) confidant by 12/22 to unlock this, which will later open up the option of progressing Kasumi beyond level 5. You should also reach rank 8 with Akechi by 11/17 to unlock some extra content.
I will not go into any spoilers, but once this is done you will be able to spend time with her again and make the romance choice at level 9, like the others.
Chihaya Mifune (Fortune Arcana)
Date unlocked: 6/22 (also requires some other conditions)
Where to find: At her stall in Shinjuku, as long as it’s not raining
Chihaya is a little long-winded to get started, but her confidant abilities are worth it. To unlock her, you must talk to her once in Shinjuku, before approaching her again on another day and buying a Holy Stone for 100,000 yen! You’ll get this money back later, but not for a long time. Return for a third time and you’ll unlock the Mementos mission “Ending the Boyfriend’s Abuse”. Complete this and return, finally triggering her confidant arc to commence.
Up to rank 5, Chihaya’s perks are invaluable. The Money Reading at rank 3 should always be done before a lengthy palace or Mementos visit, and the Affinity Reading at rank 5 is a massive help in maximising your confidants. Always use this on a confidant who is not displaying the ‘UP!!’ sign. This bumps them towards the next bond level without wasting time.
There’ll be another Mementos request called “Debunking the Psychic!” at rank 8, but you will not have any personality stat requirements and can choose to romance her during your rank 9 choices.
Ichiko Ohya (Devil Arcana)
Date unlocked: 6/23
Where to find: At the Crossroads Bar in Shinjuku
Ohya is one of the poorest Persona 5 Royal romance options in terms of perks. Her skills relate to palace security levels, granting the ability to decrease the percentage by landing ambush attacks or finding safe rooms. Whilst these can be somewhat useful in certain situations, it’s generally quite easy to avoid detection so the perks become irrelevant.
The better side of Ohya is that hanging out with her will increase Joker’s Charm, making it a handy multi-purpose use of time. At confidant rank 8, you must complete the “Fighting For Truth in Journalism” Mementos request to progress further. Once again, at rank 9 your dialogue choices can open up a romantic relationship.
Ohya is unlocked relatively early in the game, and is basically available every night making her a fairly easy confidant to max.
Makoto Nijima (Priestess Arcana)
Date unlocked: 6/25
Where to find: Outside the student council room on school days; outside the school on days off
Makoto is one of the most popular female characters in Persona 5 Royal, but she’s a tough nut to crack as a confidant. Joker will require level 3 Knowledge to even commence the confidant, and at rank 6 you will require maximum Charm (level 5) to continue.
As a party member, Makoto’s confidant skillset largely mirrors the rest of the Phantom Thieves. She will be able to follow-up attacks, heal status elements, survive fatal attacks and occasionally shield Joker from one. At level 9, you’ll be able to romance her and at level 10 her persona will evolve into its second form.
Hifumi Togo (Star Arcana)
Date unlocked: 6/26
Where to find: In the Kanda Church
Hifumi is another popular character, and was allegedly meant to become a Phantom Thief in an earlier concept of Persona 5. Instead, she’s a fierce shogi player who teaches Joker a range of tactical abilities that are useful without being overly game-changing. For example, Joker can swap party members around, or escape from battles when surrounded. This might sound trivial, but being ambushed can easily result in a game over if you stumble upon the wrong enemies.
As your ranks progress towards the maximum, Hifumi becomes a little more difficult. Rank 8 will require maximum Knowledge to proceed, and you’ll also need to complete the Mementos mission “Upstaging the Stage Mother”. Once this is done, you’ll be able to select the romantic dialogue choice at rank 9.
Futaba Sakura (Hermit Arcana)
Date unlocked: 8/31
Where to find: Outside Leblanc most days, as long as it’s not raining
Futaba is one of the last romance options to unlock, but still has a reasonable amount of time left to maximise and romance her. As the party support, Futaba’s confidant perks are passive abilities that can activate during battle. Some of these are excellent, and can help you get out of a pinch or propel you to a quick victory. She can occasionally initiate an instant hold-up, replenish SP or nullify fatal attacks.
The only social stat requirement is level 4 Kindness to reach rank 2, but it’s likely you will also need to complete the Mementos request “The Money-Grubbing Uncle”, which is unlocked during Sojiro’s confidant but involves Futaba. Either way, you’ll also have to complete “Daughter’s Just a Meal Ticket” request at rank 8 to max Futaba’s confidant rank and romance her at rank 9.
Haru Okumura (Empress Arcana)
Date unlocked: 10/30
Where to find: On the rooftop of Shujin Academy
Haru is one of the hardest romantic confidants to max, simply by virtue of her late availalability. Having said that, if you have unlocked Chihaya’s Affinity Reading and made the most of Kawakami’s spare time, you should be fine.
Her confidant perks are a mixture of battle skills akin to the other Phantom Thieves, and gardening techniques for the vegetables on the roof. These vegetables are actually handy to have, even late in the game, so there’s no downside to using these skills to your advantage.
Haru’s second confidant event can only be unlocked once Joker has max Proficiency and at this stage, you shouldn’t be too far off already. Afterwards, it’s a clear run towards the romantic choice at rank 9 with no other special requirements.
Who is the canon romance option in Persona 5 Royal?
There is no canon romance in Persona 5 Royal. Despite whatever the latest theories say, and no matter how compelling the argument, this is simply down to personal choice. Each female confidant has their own passionate fanbase willing to make their preferred waifu’s case, but this is a question that can only be answered by you and your own interpretation of events.
Who is the best Persona 5 Royal romance option?
Again, this comes down to a matter of opinion as each confidant arc greatly differs. However, I’ll keep it as objective as possible and assess the abilities only.
- All teammates are incredibly useful to maximise, as it will significantly boost their battle capabilities
- Takemi’s SP accessories are invaluable for clearing dungeons in one go, or getting the most out of your Mementos visits
- Kawakami’s extra time slots and massage ability can free up lots of spare time for you, which is precious for social stats and other confidants
- Chihaya’s readings are crucial as well – you can nudge confidants closer to their next bond level (for a price) and even unlock the best answers for the confidant events
- Ohya is easily the least useful confidant, whose abilities are virtually irrelevant
Overall, I think the best romantic confidant to prioritise in terms of perks only is Sadayo Kawakami. If you maximise her confidant arc as soon as possible, you will earn yourself lots of precious time to max your other confidants before the end of the game. However, you should also try and reach level 5 with Chihaya to unlock Affinity Reading and level 5 with Takemi to snag some of those SP recovery accessories.
Focus on Takemi (she is unlocked first) and get to level 5, then progress Kawakami as much as possible before you unlock Chihaya and reach level 5 with her. If you can get Kawakami to level 10 with Takemi and Chihaya at level 5 fairly early on, then you’ll easily be able to max all confidants in the game with time to spare.
That’s everything you need to know about the many Persona 5 Royal romance options. For more general tips of how to max all confidants, check out the article below. There’s also a list of RPGs with similar romance and relationship mechanics:
