Quick Links
The Strength Social Link is one of the many Social Links inPersona 4 Golden. While not necessary to complete the game, getting Strength to Rank 10 can greatly aidP4Gplayers - especially on a first playthrough. Unlike most Social Links, the Strength Social Link is shared between two characters instead of one.
Kou Ichijo and Daisuke Nagase are the optional characters for Strength inPersona 4 Golden. Depending on the protagonist’s choice, either Kou or Daisuke will be the “main focus” of the Social Link. The rewards are still the same, so it doesn’t matter who’s chosen. However, as one might expect, the “story” of the Strength Social Link is influenced by the player’s decision.
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Where to Find Kou/Daisuke
OnApril 19th, the protagonist can jointhe Basketball Team or the Soccer Teamby speaking to Morooka on thefirst floor of the Classroom Building. Choosing the Basketball Team will have Kou; the Soccer Team will have Daisuke. Both characters appear in one another’s Social Link. In fact, Strength is labeled “Fellow Athletes” rather than “Kou Ichijo/Daisuke Nagase” in the Social Links menu.
They’re available onMonday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday,Sunday,andholidays. They’renotavailable onrainy daysorduring exams. Since they’re one of the few Social Links that are available practically every day, it’s possible for players to have Strength leveled to Rank 10 before the midway point ofP4G. Furthermore, Kou or Daisuke will call during holidays to spend the day together, which is a way to get free Social Link points.
Players should consider bringingaPersona of the Strength Arcanabefore they spend time with Kou/Daisuke. Doing so will addone extra pointtowards the “best” answers during the Social Link. The following Personas are Strength:
Kou & Daisuke Social Link Guide
Rank 1
Both versions of Rank 1 for Strength areautomatic. If players choose Kou/Basketball, they’ll learn about Kou’s backstory and his adoption. Choosing Daisuke/Soccer is lighthearted and more about learning why he won’t date anyone. Between the two of them, Daisuke has an automatic Rank, but fewer dialogue options to earn Social Link points. Kou has no automatic Rank and more dialogue options. Regardless, the protagonist is going to have to spend Free Time with the Strength Social Link to earn enough points to advance to the next Rank. They can do this by spending the day with them ordrawing a fortune fromTatsuhime Shrine(available afterMay 5th).
Rank 2
These are the best dialogue choices (with a matching Persona) for Rank 2:
“Hey [protag], Aiya or Junes? You decide.”
3
“Well, I do like me some sweets…”
2
N/A
“You like sweets, [protag]? Want me to get you some, too?”
Points (withmatching Persona)
Misc.
“Hey, [protag]. Tear down the goals and clean up before you leave, alright?”
0
“Still, it went pretty fast with three people.”
Rank 3
These are the best dialogue choices (with a matching Persona) for Kou’s Rank 3:
“…I want to help him out.”
“She calls it ‘barbaric’.”
“So… I want you to help him out.”
Daisuke’s Rank 3 is Automatic.
Rank 4
These are the best dialogue choices (with a matching Persona) for Rank 4:
“Just the other day I was greeting people at one of those high society gatherings. Can you imagine? Me, at one of those things?”
“> Kou tries to sound cheerful…”
“Whatever… Girls are a pain in the ass, right, [protag]?”
Rank 5
These are the best dialogue choices (with a matching Persona) for Rank 5:
“Hey. Practice over already?”
“But me, I’m feeling like I’ve sunk to the bottom of the ocean”
“> Kou is also beaminglike it’s all thanks to him…”
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Rank 6
These are the best dialogue choices (with a matching Persona) for Rank 6:
“Hey, [protag], what’s his problem? Is he sick or something?”
A real game? Impossible…
“I got some dirt on a bunch of other guys too, so we should have no problem getting together a full team.”
“I have to do some family stuff today, though. Would next time be okay?”
Rank 7
These are the best dialogue choices (with a matching Persona) for Rank 7:
“Should I just leave?”
“Yeah, the orphanage.”
“I was thinking maybe I’d ask about my real parents.”
“I have to do the class record today,so don’t wait up for me.”
“Tell you what, we’ll talk over mapo rice. My treat!”
“You think it could be related…?”
“What do you think?”
“>Kou is looking at you expectantly…”
Rank 8
These are the best dialogue choices (with a matching Persona) for Rank 8:
“I’m kinda worried…”
“What are you two doing here?”
“I have no one…”
“> Their quarrel starts to escalate…”
“You got that!? It’s MY life! You guys have nothing to do with it!”
“You can be pretty sincere when you want to, Daisuke.”
Rank 9
These are the best dialogue choices (with a matching Persona) for Rank 9:
“And now that Idon’t have to wear that mask anymore… I guess it’s time to step off the stage.”
“…What do you think?”
“How ‘bout you? Wanna go for a dip?”
“I wonder if she’s as stuck in the past as I am.”
I don’t know.
Rank 10
Like every other Rank 10 inP4G, Strength Rank 10 is automatic. Any dialogue option can be chosen here and will not affect the Social Link. Once this is completed, the protagonist has no need to keep spending time with them and can focus on other Social Links.
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Social Link Completion Reward
As a reward, Kou will give the protagonist theLetter to KouKey Item. If Daisuke was chosen, then he’ll give theSpike BrushKey Item instead. These allow the protagonist to fuse the ultimate form of the Strength Aracna: Zaou-Gongen. Since these are Key Items, they’ll carry over into NG+, allowing the protagonist to fuse Zaou-Gongenwithout having to do the Social Link.
Zaou-Gongen is alevel 90 Persona. He doesn’t require Special Fusions and only needs two Personas (ex: Surt + Uriel). However, if theprotagonist isn’t level 90, then Margaret will tell him he’s not strong enough to control Zaou-Gongen, and the Fusion will be locked off until he reaches level 90 or higher. If Zaou-Gongen’s already been fused, then he can be bought from the Compendium for 78,000+ yen on NG+.
Zaou-Gongen is not a good magic attacker, and he’s not very swift either. His best stats are his Strength and Endurance. His level up Abilities consist mostly of Passive Skills and one Physical Ability (ie: Vorpal Blade). Noteworthy Abilities are hisEvade Physical(triples evasion against Physical attacks) andEnduring Soul(withstand a lethal attack when at 100% HP). Zaou-Gongen also hasMaragidyneandFire Amp, but since his Magic is generally poor (unless players choose to level up his Magic), it’s best toleave the Agi-based attacksto another Persona or Yukiko.
Persona 4 Goldenis available on PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
