Persona 5is beloved for a lot of reasons, but the Confidant system stands out as a core game mechanics. The more players befriended the people around Joker, the more benefits they provided both inside and outside the world of Shadows. This was a start contrast to the Social Link mechanic inPersona 3 PortableandPersona 4 Golden, where party members might provide special benefits through their Social Link, but most other characters just boosted Persona fusion. However,Persona 4 Goldendid have one character with a much more complicated Social Link that resembled a Confidant: the fox at the Tatsuhime Shrine.
Aside from the fact that this Hermit Arcana Social link was an animal, the fox stands out due to its surprisingly demanding mechanics.Yu Narukamican’t just hang out with the fox; he has to take on elaborate missions that can take several in-game days to complete. It’s well worth the effort, however, sincePersona 4 Goldenrewards players with tons of unique benefits if they pursue the fox’s Social Link. The outsized benefits of the fox aside from Persona bonuses make it seem like a prototype of the Confidants found inPersona 5,meaning the smash-hit title might owe its predecessor a lot.
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How Persona 4’s Fox Resembles a Confidant
While most Social Links are merely a matter of spending enough time with a person, the fox sends Yu on several quests in and aroundthe town of Inaba. It gathers ema requests at the dilapidated shrine and hands them to Yu in the hopes of getting more offerings for the shrine. These quests can take a lot of effort and sometimes require the player to sacrifice precious in-game afternoons and evenings to complete.Persona 5fans are certainly familiar with this, since most non-party Confidants feature a sidequest in Mementos, forcing the player to track down a miniboss and defeat it.
However, while the fox matches (or even exceeds) Confidants in time commitment, it also offers bountiful rewards. The fox curiously follows the Investigation Team into the Midnight Channel, where Yu can pay it to restore the party’s SP with herbs, and the service gets cheaper with Social Link ranks. This service is a lifesaver for players grinding inPersona 4 Golden’s dungeons, and it’s exactly the kind of unique benefit thatPersona 5’s Confidantsaim to offer. Beyond this, the fox also unlocks a couple amenities over the course of its quests, like fishing at Shichiri Beach. All in all, the fox is a true Confidant in the making.
In retrospect, it’s something of a shame thatPersona 4 Golden’s other Social Links didn’t follow the fox’s lead.Persona 4 Goldenhas just as many memorable side characters asPersona 5 Royal,but even highly personal Social Links like Nanako and Ryotaro Dojima don’t stand out from the player’s peers at school. It would’ve been great to see these characters step up to the level of a Confidant; for instance, Dojima could’ve provided the player with the same kind of detective sleuthing skills thatGoro Akechifeatures inPersona 5 Royal.Without unique abilities, these friendships feel a little less special.
Regardless, the fox remains a shining light amongPersona 4 Golden’s Social Links. Its dedication to sidequests and role as an SP provider remain distinct even afterPersona 5 Royal,so maybePersona 6can look toP4for inspiration when making a new merchant character or a purveyor of real-world sidequests. It also wouldn’t hurt ifPersona 6put its on twist on an animal Confidant to honor the legacy of the fox andKoromaru fromPersona 3. Whatever the next game does, the fox will remain an oddity amongPersona 4 Golden’s Social Links that may have heralded the changes to come in the franchise.
Persona 4 Goldenis available now for PC and PS Vita, and releases July 07, 2025 for PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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