Quick Links
- How To Start Ai's Social Link
- How To Rank Up Ai’s Social Link
The pretty sports team manager who could not care less about sports themselves, Ai Ebihara serves the role of your Moon arcana in Persona 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.
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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 reached Rank 4 of your Strength social 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 have Rank 3 Courage before you can begin speaking to her.
Once you have these prerequisites complete, begin Ai’s social link by first talking to her on the first floor of Yasogami High.
It’s worth noting before you begin that Ai 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 also undo your progress with Ai by making the wrong decisions in your dialogue.
You can also break Ai’s social link with a wrong dialogue choice on the False Romance path at Rank 9, which we’ll elaborate on in the tables below.
If you reverse Ai’s social link, you can simply speak with her again on another day to fix it. The action won't consume time, and your relationship will be back to normal the following day.
If you break 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 to grab a Moon Persona when you're going to see Ai.
If you’re trying to romance Ai, beware that you'll have a false start before the actual romance can begin, which isn't until Rank 10.
You’re presented with the option to “be Ai’s boyfriend” during her Rank 6 scene, but it's clear this is no ordinary romance. Agreeing to date Ai here will put you on a completely separate path that locks Ai’s actual romance path.
Additionally, your scenes with her for Ranks 7-10 will be different from 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.
Ai's Persona 4 Golden Social Link, Rank 1
Dialogue
Your Response
Points Earned With A Matching Persona
Points Earned Without A 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."
—
—
Ai only seems to be concerned about her own shopping…
"This is boring…"
—
—
"Alright, I'll come."
—
—
Ai paid for everything with a gold card…
"Got money to burn?"
—
—
"…Whose card is that?"
—
—
Ai's Persona 4 Golden Social Link, Rank 2
Dialogue
Your Response
Points Earned With A Matching Persona
Points Earned Without A Matching Persona
"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."
"Sure."
—
—
"Buy it yourself."
3
2
"Let's split one."
2
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."
—
—
Ai's Persona 4 Golden Social Link, Rank 3
Dialogue
Your Response
Points Earned With A Matching Persona
Points Earned Without A Matching Persona
"What should we do instead?"
"Come shopping with me."
3
2
"Let's just chill."
3
2
"Why are we here again…?"
—
—
"Looking at it from your perspective, I'd say you got pretty lucky."
"I appreciate it."
—
—
"Not exactly…"
3
2
Ai rejected him without a second thought…
"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.
Dialogue
Your Response
Points Earned With A Matching Persona
Points Earned Without A Matching Persona
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.""
3
2
Ai's Persona 4 Golden Social Link, Rank 5
Dialogue
Your Response
Points Earned With A Matching Persona
Points Earned Without A Matching Persona
"Th-Thank you for that, last time…"
"What are you talking about?"
3
2
"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."
3
2
"I wouldn't know."
—
—
"……"
3
2
"All I need you to do is… ask him what's his type. That's it."
"No problem."
—
—
"Not gonna happen!"
Reverses Ai's social link
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.
Dialogue
Your Response
Points Earned With A Matching Persona
Points Earned Without A Matching Persona
"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
Ai's Persona 4 Golden Social Link, Rank 7
Dialogue
Your Response
Points Earned With A Matching Persona
Points Earned Without A Matching Persona
Normal Path
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep making you hang out with me…"
"I don't mind."
3
2
"About time you said it."
—
—
"I wonder why…"
"Because we're friends."
3
2
"You have a crush on me."
3
2
"Because I'm special to you."
3
2
False Romance Path
"Hey, why don't you pick out some clothes for me? What do you think I'd look good in?"
Cute clothes.
—
—
Sexy clothes.
3
2
Casual clothes.
—
—
"Isn't that right, (Protagonist)?"
"Yep."
3
2
"We are?"
—
—
"…Do you think I'm pretty?"
"Of course you are."
3
2
"Not really."
—
—
"What's wrong?"
Ai's Persona 4 Golden Social Link, Rank 8
Dialogue
Your Response
Points Earned With A Matching Persona
Points Earned Without A Matching Persona
Normal Path
"He was just… a normal, good guy. I guess what I felt was kind of a fleeting thing."
"Happens all the time."
3
2
"You can be so cruel."
3
2
"Are you okay with that?"
—
—
False Romance Path
"(Protagonist)… Do you love me?"
"Of course…"
3
2
"What's wrong?"
—
—
"You need me, right?"
"Naturally…"
3
2
"Do I really have to say it?"
—
—
Ai's Persona 4 Golden Social Link, Rank 9
Dialogue
Your Response
Points Earned With A Matching Persona
Points Earned Without A Matching Persona
Normal Path
Things don't look good… You feel Ai is in danger.
Help her
—
—
See what happens
—
—
"Uh… Sorry, was that unnecessary?"
"Thank you."
3
2
"Are you alright?"
—
—
"That was reckless of you…"
3
2
False Romance Path
"I think we need to… break up."
"Why?"
—
—
"I don't want that."
—
—
"You're being selfish."
—
—
"I'm so worthless…"
"That's not true."
3
2
"Then let's find your value."
3
2
"You decide your own worth."
3
2
"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?"
"Sure."
3
2
"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, breaking a 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 playthrough and any 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).
Dialogue
Your Response
Points Earned With A Matching Persona
Points Earned Without A Matching Persona
Normal Path
What will you do…?
Accept her
Romance path
Reject her
Platonic path
False Romance 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.