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Persona 5 Royal brought a litany of new characters, story beats, and quality of life improvements into the vanilla story of Persona 5, and one of those new additions is with Kasumi Yoshizawa. This eloquent and intelligent young gymnast comes to Joker’s aid many times throughout the course of the story, but apart from aiding Joker in battle, in P5R, you can even opt to romance Kasumi as well.
But choosing to romance Kasumi will take some time, understanding, and a lot of patience. For help on how to romance Kasumi in Persona 5 Royal, check out our guide below.
Updated on March 29, 2023 by Gabrielle Castania: With P5R still as beloved as ever on the heels of its 2022 re-release to new consoles, plenty of players are still curious on if you can romance Kasumi in Persona 5 Royal. While not present in Persona 5, Kasumi is an invaluable addition to the story of Persona 5 Royal, and many players found her to be the perfect match for Joker. We wanted to dive back into our guide on how to romance Kasumi in Persona 5 Royal to update the images and formatting to keep the information below as helpful and concise as ever.
Though we'll avoid outright ones, this guide will contain major spoilers for the endgame of Persona 5 Royal.
Play Normally Until 5/30
At the beginning of Persona 5 Royal, players get to see a showcase of Kasumi's character. She aids Joker in battle mere minutes into the game. Though she is one of the earliest playable characters in this rendition of Persona 5, she isn't available as a confidant for some time.
Players will want to focus on playing the game as they usually would until 5/30.
It's on this day that Kasumi is introduced as a confidant via story beat. Because it is a part of the campaign, there's no need to worry about missing out on her first Social Link rank.
Kasumi's Confidant Progression Unlocks On Certain Dates
Although Kasumi's confidant unlocks automatically for the first ranking, others will take some time to become available. Make sure to keep track of which days her ranks open up, as players must complete the following confidant ranks before finishing the base game's content.
While these are the dates on which the scenes unlock, it's not a strict requirement to experience the scenes on that date. Check out our 100 percent walkthroughs for a full guide on which actions to take on any given day.
Kasumi's Persona 5 Royal Confidant Ranking Dates
|
Rank |
Date |
|---|---|
|
2 |
6/8 |
|
3 |
6/29 |
|
4 |
7/31 |
|
5 |
8/7 |
|
(Locks at Rank 5 until 1/9 if the third semester requirements are met) |
|
|
5.5 |
1/9 |
|
6 |
1/13 |
|
7 |
1/14 |
|
8 |
1/16 |
|
9 |
1/18 |
|
10 (Max) |
|
With Kasumi's Persona 5 Royal confidant both limited to five rankings at first and confined to set dates, players can focus on finishing other dungeons and accomplishing the other prerequisites that will enable them to reach the true ending.
The decision to romance Kasumi will be made in the second half of her confidant progression, at Rank Nine.
Pursue The True Ending And Third Semester Of Persona 5 Royal
To romance Kasumi, players must progress toward the True Ending of Persona 5 Royal. One of the prerequisites for doing so involves reaching certain milestones with another two confidants whose Social Links are new to Royal — Goro Akechi, whose Justice arcana confidant must climb to Rank 8 or you'll lock it where it is, and Takuto Maruki, who must hit Rank 9 with his Councillor arcana confidant and trigger the game's bonus content.
Some of these will require higher social stats, so players will want to spend a fair amount of their free time boosting Knowledge and Charm to avoid bumping up against any barriers along the way.
Reach Rank Five Of Kasumi's Confidant By 12/18
Even though Kasumi's confidant ranks unlock intermittently, there is still a deadline for completing her confidant progression all the way to the Rank Five stopping point.
Joker needs to max out Kasumi's partial confidant by 12/18, just before the end of the vanilla P5 content. Thankfully, Kasumi's maximum confidant is only rank five until after this point, meaning there's plenty of wiggle room to fit in the four additional scenes we mentioned above.
Just tackle the ranks as they become available, and there will be no need to worry about failing. Slate some time out on the specified days, as it can be easy to get sidetracked.
Reject The Proposal On 12/24
On Christmas Eve, Igor proposes a solution to the tainted hearts of Tokyo's citizens: he suggests that Joker allows them to stay ignorant while remaining the hero. Though his offer may seem tantalizing, turn it down.
Accepting this offer will instantly trigger one of the game's bad endings, halting any progress players have made up to this point. This means that even if all the other prerequisites for the true ending have been unlocked along the way, this one mistake will undo everything.
Refuse Igor and defeat him. If all necessary steps have been taken, the third semester will begin.
Help Kasumi Face Her Past
One of the first orders of business for Joker and Kasumi in the third semester will be to take on a new palace with a dark secret.
Joker will need to be there for Kasumi when she needs him the most, helping her to face a trauma she's ignored. This portion is part of Persona 5 Royal's new story beats, so it will occur automatically so long as the aforementioned Christmas Eve ultimatum from Igor was rejected.
Only one upcoming narrative option can lead to failure along this route. Help Kasumi find her reason to fight as the pair make their way through the game's final palace.
Reject Maruki's Offer on 1/9
There is one last temptation for both Joker and Kasumi that could prevent players from reaching the true ending. This would be by accepting an offer that Doctor Maruki gives them on 1/9.
Just as you ignored Igor's offer, ignore Maruki's proposal as well. All the hard work that's been handled up until 1/9 will be made fruitless; the game will conclude before players ever have a chance to initiate Kasumi's romance. Turn his offer down and prepare for the final palace.
Buy Gifts Kasumi Likes
As with any romantic partner in Persona 5 Royal, Joker can give Kasumi gifts. Tokyo has a unique set of items that will help boost Kasumi's confidant progression with the protagonist. Grabbing a few of these items can help prevent an unproductive hangout session, as later Arcana ranks can take multiple visits to progress.
Grab some of the following to impress the young gymnast:
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Kasumi's Reaction |
Item List |
|---|---|
|
Liked Items (+2) |
|
|
Loved Items (+3) |
|
Be Supportive To Kasumi
When the second half of Kasumi's Persona 5 Royal confidant ranking begins during the third semester bonus content, you'll need to help her face the heft of these emotional situations she was trying to leave in the past.
Though Joker seems to do most of the responding for us as the strong, silent type, players will still need to opt for inquisitive or supportive language when responding to Kasumi in the back half of her confidant progression.
When she talks about her past, ask questions, and keep her talking. She feels unheard in life, so spending time talking to her will really boost her self-worth. If she seems to be down, let her know that Joker understands and that he's had struggles before as well.
Tell Kasumi You Love Her During Her Rank Nine Scene
For all the preparatory work that goes into Kasumi’s confidant progression in Persona 5 Royal, the decision to date her is a fairly straightforward one. Only one line of dialogue is what decides the eventual nature of your relationship with Kasumi in P5R.
Kasumi’s Rank Nine scene will give you two dialogue options when Kasumi tells Joker she doesn’t want to make him uncomfortable. You’ll be given two responses to choose from, and telling Kasumi, “I love you too,” is what segues their relationship into a romance for the remainder of the game.